If You Seek Amy
by ChocoLalaLandGirl
Summary: After deciding it was time to move on, Amy moves in with Rouge and almost forgets how much pain Sonic had put her through; after all, she'd know all about forgetting. What if Sonic wasn't ready to move on? Sequel to Remember the Name-not required reading!
1. Dancing With Tears in My Eyes

**If You Seek Amy**

**Chapter 1-Dancing With Tears in my Eyes**

Rouge said I didn't have to come tonight. She said she could take off early and we could have a nice quiet night in. We could watch chick flicks and eat WAY more ice cream than we should and talk and laugh and cry. But for some reason I didn't want to; not yet anyway. Right now I didn't hurt; I didn't feel relief or anger or even sadness. I felt dead. And numb.  
>The streets were so quiet that I could hear my own heart beating; an inevitable pounding in my chest as the only reminder that I wasn't dead and that my broken heart would keep pulsing, no matter how much it ached. What I longed for most was for the reassurance of life to leave me; now that Sonic was out of my life for good, I didn't <em>need<em> a heart.  
>I could feel the light draining from the world while the sun set over the last few buildings in the distance. I could feel the cold night air descending around and inside me, preparing for a brutally cold fall just around the corner. After a few more blocks, my destination came into view; a building that seemed darker in the day than it did at night, with lights pouring into the unbroken darkness around it and music thumping on a low bass behind its tinted metal walls. A huge man stood in front of the door where only a few people were still waiting in line. Under normal circumstances, I would be turned away like last weeks magazines, but I knew people. That's the only way a 15-year-old gets into a 21 and up club.<br>As the couple in front of me were allowed into the club, the man turned his harsh eyes on me, but I never melted under pressure.  
>''I'm here looking for a friend.'' I said without batting an eye.<br>''I'm sorry, but I'm gonna need some ID here, half pint.'' so he was the stubborn kind with a big voice. Why did those two always seem to go together?  
>''No I'm sorry that you think you oughtta be turnin' me down a night at this joint!'' I said with all the swagger in the world, making the man about ten times my size actually take a step back. ''That's right! In fact, I might need to give your boss a ring right now! I betcha she won't take too kindly to hearing you sent away ME just because I didn't bring an ID!''<br>''Look, miss, I'm just doing my job, kay? If you can tell me who you're here to see than maybe I-''  
>''Lax, doll face; scrawny here's with me.'' Rouge said, appearing behind the mountainous bouncer as smoothly as ice.<br>''Oh, um, I'm so sorry for the trouble, ma'am! Please, go right in!'' he said, a dumbstruck look on his face as he let me duck under the little velvet rope before he could bother to move it.  
>''Just remember this face, kay?'' Rouge said, holding my shoulders to keep me in front of her.<br>''Yes ma'am! I can assure you this won't happen again.''  
>''It better not.''<br>The man swallowed and I heard a few other people in line yell that they were with us too, but Hulk guys wasn't that stupid apparently.  
>I laughed a little as we crept along the outer walls of the dance floor. ''You are so cool! You know that?''<br>''Course I do, hun! If I didn't, no one else would.'' I rolled my eyes, blowing off the modesty she still tried to cling to. ''So you sure you don't wanna have a girls night in? We can do this any time, you know?''  
>''I know, but I don't want to go home and cry all night. At least not without having a little fun first.''<br>''Okay, just don't fun yourself out.''  
>''I know the rules, usually better than you do.'' I accused, seeing her blush slightly.<br>''Alright, but tell me if ya need anything.''  
>''Kay-k.'' I fake smiled, giving her the clearance she needed to run off and pour a few drinks for some of the backed-up costumers.<br>It was the kind of building that looked way smaller than it was on the outside, but no one here would really agree, since they'd only been here when it was packed full of moving bodies, whereas I had come several times in the day when it was closed, but that didn't matter. On my way over I had imagined all of the non-stop strobe lights and blaring music and thought I might get swept into it like always, leaving all of my troubles behind on the dance floor, but I still felt empty. I didn't want to make us leave just because I was sad, so I let the music wash over me like I was wearing a rain-coat, sticking to my skin rather than molding with my spirit. I wanted to cry, but the tears stayed pushed back in my eyes as I forced myself to dance. Maybe Rouge was right and it was a bad idea to do this while I felt so...dead. And with every move I felt more or everything. Until I wasn't numb but aching. I could feel the tears slowly working their way into my eyes until they spilled over. I moved like a robot as I danced and I decided I couldn't take it anymore. I moved with the ocean of dancers, none of whom seemed to notice me as more than another of them. I was alone in the crowd until I finally reached the ring around the dance floor with enough space to walk. I made my way to the bar, trying to wipe away the last few tears before she saw it had been too much for me. I stepped into her view and she immediately hopped over the bar, rushing over to meet me.  
>''Are you ready to go? I knew this would be a bad idea!'' she accused, ''You can't dance off a break-up; I've tried and it doesn't work.''<br>I sniffled a little, ''It wasn't a break-up if we were never together.''  
>She sighed, ''Well whatever you wanna call it, we're going home! Trust me, I know how t deal with these things. Yo Stan! Sign me out an tell J-man I'm gone. I'll be early tomorrow!'' she yelled over to the other guy at the bar, who nodded and gave her a thumbs up. ''Come on, girl.'' she said, practically dragging me back around to the employee exit. Rouge knew this place better than anyone I knew.<br>We ducked out of the crowd through the doors and into an alley the ran right behind the club and right over to Rouge's apartment. We followed it down to a few sets of ladders, where I jumped up and grabbed the lowest, pulling myself up and climbing to the third story while Rouge flew up ahead of me to unlock the door.  
>Maybe Rouge was right and I did just need a girl's night in. I didn't want to just sit around crying and give in to letting Sonic hurt me even when I had left, but just one night of crying was okay, right?<p>

**A/N: Hey guys! New story here! It's actually the sequel to my last story "Remember the Name", but it's not completely necessary for you to have read it, though it might help understand things so far, because I really don't like re-stating things too much, though I will if I have to. Anyway, first chapter was kind of depressing, but it'll get better eventually. And just so you all know, I'm not doing gay couples or anything; Amy and Rouge might seem closer than BFF's every now and then, so just imagine them like (not biologically though) sisters, okay? Anyway, what I'd really like is to see some feedback on this before I update via reviews so press that little button of happiness below and save me from a chapter of nothing! Thanks guys and I'll try to update soon.**


	2. Monster You Made Me

**If You Seek Amy**

**Chapter 2-Monster You Made Me**

Sonic's POV:

I was still for a long time after she left, I guess trying to wait for the words to soak into me. But they seemed to just stick to my skin, refusing to work their way into my head. Seconds, minutes, hours, whatever it was! It really didn't matter in the least how long I had stood there! I just...couldn't believe it. Amy was gone from my life forever...and it was entirely my fault. Why didn't I just listen to her? Why wouldn't I give her two minutes to talk? None of this would have even HAPPENED!  
>I grit my teeth, trying to decide what to do. Amy, the sweet little innocent girl who had loved me unconditionally no matter how much of an ass hole I had been to her, hated me. And I didn't want her to. I kept telling her to leave me alone and go away, but I had never expected she <em>would<em>! I had hurt her, and that was just NOT right!

If I wanted her to forgive me, I could never see her again! She had left and if I tried to go after her...she would just hate me MORE! Forever. The thought of her out of my life forever was so hard, so unbearable, that it made tears well up in my eyes. But the only thing worse would be having her mad at me and never being forgiven. I'd rather her be happy without me than angry and miserable with.

After who knows how long, I finally decided the bitter cold was going to freeze me soon and so I, reluctantly, went inside.

"Amy left." Tails said simply as I did.  
>"I know." I answered as I walked by, which was very unusual for me. I didn't really walk a lot.<br>"Sonic, are you..." he trailed off seeming somewhat confused.  
>"Tails, it's not like I hated her! Besides, she'll be better off without me there making her miserable all the time!" I didn't mean to snap at him, but I assumed he picked up on the sadness in my eyes since he just sighed and sat back down.<br>I went up to the top floor of Chris's mansion where we all pretty much lived now, having found a safe way of travel between here and Mobius and chosen to stay here on Earth. There was a little window-seat near the balcony doors where I would stay when it was too cold to sleep on the roof outside. I sat down there and tried to collect all the thoughts drifting around my head, though they seemed too fast and complicated to make any sense. All I knew was that Amy was gone and I couldn't do anything about it, and that when she left, so did I big chunk of my heart. 

**~~~ … ~~~**

Time passed, things changed, the memories and missing her stayed the same. I saw her around town, walking or shopping or whatever. I knew where she worked without ever asking or searching and that she always seemed to go to the store on Thursday afternoons and that she took a jog every morning and never looked at me for more than a moment without quickly turning away. I didn't watch her or follow her or even check up on her. Honestly, I tried to avoid Amy whenever and however possible, for the pure reason that seeing her hurt. I knew I couldn't run up to her and apologize or tell her how much we all missed her or even how much I missed her! The thought that I couldn't hurt me. But I always seemed to end up noticing her when she was there, unable to get past the thought that she would ALWAYS be there, even if there wasn't with me.

The first week was probably the worst. Cream was really upset that Amy had left; they were practically sisters and closer than anyone, so it was pretty hard on her. But Cream and Tails and Chris and everyone just thought she had left because she was ready to be on her own, or closer to it any way. On the other hand, I was plagued by the guilt in the knowledge that _I_ had drove her out! That was I conflict I was afraid to admit to anyone. I was selfishly glad that Amy hadn't told anyone it was my fault, but mostly because I don't think I could have lived on without Amy if the others hated me too. Already I was so beaten with guilt that I spent as little time as possible at home, trying to get in a few really long runs to clear my mind and make up for the oncoming winter that would inevitably draw me more inside.

Things slowly fell into place. Amy's missing presence became part of routine and the mourning seemed to fade. They never mentioned it, but I knew that Tails and Cream still hung out with her. They knew that I wouldn't see Amy again, so they never said anything when they went off to hang out with her. I knew I was invited. Eventually, thing found a way to be happy and normal again, all on their own.

I had to let her go. I knew that in my heart; that she would move on and be better off without me and that I'd be wasting my life if I didn't do the same. So I still talked and laughed and goofed around, ran and fought with Eggman and Knuckles and the occasional temporary villain the police couldn't handle. I did everything just the same as I had before and didn't let the pain of loosing Amy get in the way of enjoying myself. I was still sarcastic and unfocused and fun-loving as ever, just without Amy. The thought brought an ache somewhere deep inside of me every time I acknowledged that she was gone, but I couldn't let that pain rule my life forever. I didn't move on-I would never move on enough to forget or stop missing her-but I did move forward. What else could be expected by someone like me? Sonic the Hedgehog; who always ran away from his problems.

**A/N: Hope you guys are liking this so far. Please review **


	3. Untouched

**Chapter 3-Untouched**

"Rouge, you have to wake up." I whispered, slightly nudging the sleeping bat. I on the other hand, was wide awake, still jogging in place to cool down from my morning walk.

"Ugh, but my head hurts!" she whined, "Five more minutes."

"If I let you sleep off every hangover, you'd probably only get up on Mondays and Wednesdays." I teased, ignoring her groan, "It's past noon and I've gotta go now, so you better not fall back asleep."

"Yeah yeah." She muttered sleepily as I practically ran to my room.

I couldn't wear shorts to work, as I learned after the first summer in a very hard way, so I quickly changed into a pair of baggy, thin jeans with slashes across the front every few inches, perfect for staying cool in the musty garage. I kept on the light red shirt with the flat top cutting straight across my shoulders and that rose up high enough to reveal my whole flat stomach. Summers were especially hot in the shop, seemingly more so than anywhere else, so I couldn't really care too much about being to revealing as much as not having a heat stroke.

I jumped down the stairs, not bothering with the probably broken elevator, and ran straight through the alley, ending up on main street. I hopped on the back of a bus as it pulled away from the curve and squeezed past a few people to get inside, pressed against one of the outer poles of the bus. I closed my eyes and breathed slowly through my nose, trying to ignore the thought that I had been forced onto a public transportation aid and rid myself of the nausea that came with it.

After seven blocks of deep breathing, I opened my eyes just in time to see the workshop where I had to get off. I hopped off the moving bus and quickly onto the sidewalk before causing any traffic jams on the busy street. After collecting my balance, I slid into the car repair shop Tails had started as a side job about a year ago and secretly given me a job. He wasn't there very often, as his main responsibility was to train workers for the job, but every now and then stopped in to check up on things.

I grabbed my clipboard off the front counter and opened the main doors to let a little breeze rush in. I turned on every fan in the building on my way to the back, where I would be working on today's assignment. I had never really been interested in cars before, but Tails just happened to offer while I was still looking for a job and it turned out to be pretty good. It had been almost two years since I left the team and I now had two jobs, this and a part-time night shift. Rouge worked full time at the same club she had back then as the assistant manager. Basically, she was in charge of everything but still not quite the top. Rouge would go back and forth every night between DJ, bartender, and basically just a monitor to make sure things didn't get out of hand.

After about an hour of tinkering on one of the totaled cars in for repair, I heard footsteps slowly dragging across the concrete floor. It was Tuesday, so no one was supposed to be in for work today but me, unless we had a lot of work backed up, which meant it was a costumer who wasn't too familiar with the concept of making appointments.

"Hello? Anyone here?" a gruff voice called from the main room.  
>"Yo jussa sec!" I called, rolling myself out from under the rickety blue Chevy and jogging around the corner to the front.<br>To my surprise, the person leaning on the counter was one that I actually recognized.  
>"Amy? No way!" Knuckles said, the bored expression falling off his face.<br>"Hey! What're you _doing_ here?" I asked.  
>"Well, I heard Tails owned this place and I came by to see if he could help me out with some car trouble, but I didn't expect to see you here! Why are you?"<br>"I...work here."  
>''Huh...cool.'' he said, slightly taken aback.<br>I laughed, ''What so pretty girls can't work at car shops?'' I teased.  
>''No, that's not it!''<br>''Gotcha!'' I giggled and he grunted slightly.  
>''So how ya been? I haven't seen you since...what, three years ago?''<br>''More like two.''  
>''That's right! You had lost your mind!''<br>''Nu-uh! Just my memory! And it came back anyway.''  
>''Huh. So how come you haven't been around for a while? I mean, you're never hanging around with Sonic or-''<br>''Okay, don't say that!'' I snapped, making him take a quick step back. I sighed, ''Sorry, Knuckles; its just...I've been trying to _forget_ about Sonic, and...It's been a while, you know?''  
>''Suure...'' he said cautiously. ''Okay, so what have you been up to lately?''<br>''Umm...nothing specifically. I don't really live with the others or anything now; me and Rouge share an apartment and...There's really not much more.''  
>''Hmph,'' he thought for a minute, ''You actually hang out with that batty jewel thief?''<br>''Oh hush! She's way past that and it's kind of nice to be able to relate to someone, ya know? Plus, we're about the most kick-ass team around when it comes to parties.''  
>He laughed, ''So sweet little Amy spends a little time with a party-happy slut and gets to be a bitch herself.''<br>''Hey, it aint like that!'' I defended, ''It's not like she's a whore or anything; she just knows how to have fun and I'm glad it could rub off on me, even if I'm no goody-two shoes anymore.''  
>''Hey, I was just kidding, okay? I don't think it's even possible for you to bitch-out, Amy.'' he laughed and I joined in. ''Well good for you then. But anyway, I did have some car trouble; can you get Tails on the phone or something?''<br>''Yeah, because even though I WORK here, I'm utterly incapable of having a look.''  
>He groaned, ''okay, but aren't you busy or something?''<br>''Please; my project right now is a totaled hunk a junk that'll take about two weeks to fix; what's an extra hour or so?''  
>''Okay, it's out front.''<p>

Knuckles had a really nice car; I sleek red mustang with some REALLY nice parts.  
>''So what exactly is wrong with it?''<br>''Well, I guess it's not exactly something wrong more than just a precaution. Whenever I try to start moving after stopping for a red light or whatever, it kind of sputters and doesn't really go as smoothly as I'd want. I took it in to some other place, but no on there knew what the hell they were doing, so I thought I'd give this place a try.''  
>''Mind showing me the problem first hand, or should I just take a guess?''<br>''No, hop in!'' he said, pulling a set of keys from his pocket.

After a few blocks, I had fully diagnosed the problem and told him on the way back to the garage.  
>''See, what it is is that the transmission is starting to go out. It might just be that it needs to be tightened up a bit, but it could also be ready to die, which could be pretty serious if it happens like at a busy intersection or something. Because if it goes out while you're moving, your engine's gonna blow completely right then and there.'' I explained as we pulled into the parking lot.<br>''See what I heard there was blah blah blah I'm smarter!'' we both laughed, ''so what now?''  
>''I'll have a look while you get me lunch.'' I said, popping the hood.<br>''Sure, what do you want?''  
>''If you go in the main door, you can go around the counter and there's a door right to the left. Go in there and just get the box of pizza from the fridge in there. You can grab a soda or whatever if you want.'' I said, handing over the keys to the employee break room.<br>''Okay, be right back.'' he said, jogging in while I easily found the loose transmission wires.

I tightened the wires while chewing the cold pizza and also tweaked the motor and changed the oil while I was at it.  
>''So is it done?'' he asked as I slammed the hood back down.<br>I turned the keys in the ignition, showing him the purr of the engine as it roared to life so smoothly I almost wanted to drool.  
>''Damn girl! You're goood! What do I owe ya?''<br>''You brought the pizza out, right?''

Time seemed to pass to quickly that day, that's what happened when I pressed the snooze button even once in the morning, throwing off my whole day. I didn't notice the time until it had already started getting dark out.

"Damn." I muttered, rolling out form under the now only half-smashed car and throwing a few tools across the room into a tool box. With the last toss, I banked a large wrench of the lid and in, causing it to close after the tool had fallen in with a loud clank.

I wrote down the day's progress on my clipboard and put it on the shelf behind the front desk for Tails to look over either tonight or tomorrow morning and track it for the costumer of the car. Next I put away anything else left from the day. I switched the 'opened' sign off and watched the words sputter out. I ran to the back and locked all the doors and shut off all the lights and fans. I snatched a set of keys from a counter top and jumped on my motorcycle that I had left there the night before. The engine groaned loudly as I put on my helmet and reached for the garage door remote. I pressed the button to close and lock the final huge door in the front, immediately zooming out just underneath the door before it could finish closing.

I flowed smoothly into the traffic and took the quickest route back to the apartment, skidding to a halt in the parking lot and taking the stair up two at a time. I walked inside and didn't hesitate to turn on and blare the stereo in the living room, knowing that Rouge would still be at work. I left the bathroom door opened as I ducked through the water just long enough to rinse off all the grease I had acquired at work and shave my legs quickly.

I slipped on a pair of booty shorts and another half shirt and vest with little strings of beads the rattled as I moved. I wore a pair of boots, even though they looked sort of strange on my bare legs, and quickly applied some eye-liner, mascara, and dark eye shadow. I yanked my iPod from the still-blaring speaker, making it go suddenly silent as the music device turned off, stuffing it in my bulky purse with a few papers strewn across the dining room table.

I decided to take my motorcycle again, since I was running slightly behind, instead of walking and doing some stretches on my way as I usually did on my way to my second part-time job. I stuffed my still wet hair up into a pony tail, though only about half would end up staying up since my new summer hair cut had already been put into style, layered so that most of it didn't even come past my face. I put on my black helmet with little pink scull and heart designs mixed together on the back and took off, flowing through and around traffic at about twice the posted speed limit.

I threw my helmet around the handle bars as soon as I skidded into the parking lot, swinging my crinkled hair so it didn't stick to my face when it dried. I walked up to the entrance to the club where Rouge worked, walking around the line and ignoring all the complaining costumers and rather just swinging around the neon green hat that signified I was an employee there.

"Hiya scank breath." I greeted the security guard teasingly.

"Sup mini-bitch?" he matched my joking insult, allowing me to duck under the line and into the club, where I jogged to the back, waving to Rouge and Mack, the other bar-tender, as I passed.

I went to the little studio in the back and checked the chart for tonight's schedule, though I already knew what it would say. There were no classes I had prescheduled for Tuesdays, so basically my job was to go out and dance and offer lessons to anyone who seemed interested. I was in charge of the free-style department, which seemed kind of ridiculous to _teach_ free style when really it was just more of a make-it-up as you go thing, but that was fine with me.

Basically, what I did was teach people a few moves and how to put their own touches on them. It was really more of a confidence thing, showing them not to be afraid to express themselves when they danced. Rouge had suggested I do a class after seeing how interested some of the others were whenever I was on the dance floor. I had thought it would be a total bomb, but a lot of people seemed interested in taking lessons from the club-famous "Flamin' Rose", as a few people had nicknamed me.

I swayed to the beats evenly until an appealing song burst through the air. I was true to the song, have "All the Right Move in all the right places" without even following a designed routine. It just came naturally to me, twisting my legs and spinning on my toes, then popping a hip and throwing my head back as I fell into the splits almost too quickly every time. Rolling my shoulders and letting the movement flow down my spine and back and hips and legs. Moving with the music.

It was hard to believe I could just dance and get _paid_ for it, but I guess I could see why, as the song ended, reality greeting me with a circle around me where people had cleared away and were now applauding me. By the end of three songs, I had 20 people signed up to take a lesson tomorrow night.

I worked until only 10:00, leaving four hours before Rouge and going home to collapse. I'd do the same thing tomorrow; wake up at 7:00, get a coffee, take a jog, etc., repeating the same fabulous pattern every day pretty much. My life always had a pattern, or at least now it did. Now that I didn't have Sonic to help put a spin on my life. Nothing changed, nothing got me especially happy or sad; I was stuck in a rut of contentment. Just contentment.

**A/N: Hey guys! Hope you liked this chapter and thanks for all the reviews; they're really helpful as far as motivational purposes, so hope to see some feedback like that again. By the way, I'm going to be switching between Amy and Sonic's point of views for each chapter, maybe an exception here and there. The plot will be kind of taking off about here, so get ready for some major suspense! Hope you guys are ready; just remember, the more reviews the faster the updates! Peace out! (-)**


	4. Crashed

**Chapter 4-Crashed**

"Hey, Knux." I greeted the red echidna as he walked by across the street.

"Oh, hey Sonic." He replied as I practically jumped over the moving traffic so we didn't have to yell across the highway.

"So what's up?"

"Eh…nothing really. Hey, I got my car fixed! Bet I could give Sam a run for his money if he'll settle for any less than the fastest thing alive. He'll just have to take the second fastest."

"That's cool. You sound awfully confident; did you slip the mechanic a little bribe?"

He scoffed a laugh, "Naw, she's just awesome."

"'She' huh? Sounds hot." The words slipped out of my mouth without even thinking as my mental image of 'mechanic' shifted to a tall biker chick in some sort of tiny spandex as the new default image.

My little daydream was interrupted as Knuckles burst out laughing so hard I thought he might explode. He doubled over, clutching his side and trying to catch his breath, but he just kept cracking up.

"Yo, what's the deal, man?"

"AHAHAHA! It just SO damn figures you'd say that!" He chocked through his hooting.

"What? Was she ugly or something?" I wondered, but the mental image refused to replace itself.

"NO! Not at all!" He caught his breath a few last chuckles, "When was the last time you saw Amy?" he asked, finally clearing his throat.

"W-why do you ask?" I wondered, cringing slightly at her name. He scrutinized my face and I knew I couldn't pull anything past Knuckles, plus he deserved at least a slight explanation. "Okay, she's been mad at me and moved out about two years ago, just after she got her memory back and everything. She doesn't want to see or hear from me at all, so…"

"No way! How come no one ever told me she hates your guts! I could've caught the rebound!" I venomously glared a hole straight through his head and he held his hands up to signify he was kidding. "Take it easy, man! I'm just kidding!"

I sighed and dropped the glare, still gritting my teeth as to not punch him, though I did anyway, just not as hard as I would have. "Well why the hell are you bringing this up now anyway?"

"Well, I just thought it was funny that you said the whole 'must've been hot' thing, because she was the mechanic who fixed my car. And let me tell you, she's pretty damn awesome!"

"Huh. That figures; she does the whole hammer goddess thing and it turns out she's handy with a wrench too." I allowed a chuckled, doing all I could to not let the whole _Knuckles saw her and I don't get to_ thing bring me down much.

"Hmm, didn't think about that. You're right I guess." He chuckled once. "But anyway, what's up?"

"Uh…nothing really…" I tried to remember if there was something I was supposed to tell Knuckles, but nothing came to mind. "Oh yeah! Shadow said he knows it was you that broke his window, so he wanted me to deliver you a death threat, so here it is." I said smirking while he groaned.

"Nice one, but even I know you don't talk to Shadow. Whenever you do, one of you has a new death threat for the other within about five seconds."

"True. Okay, you win." I submitted easily, as my mind was somewhere else and I didn't quite feel like arguing for now. "Hey, I'll see ya later, okay?"

"Whatever, just don't try to prove me wrong and go talk to Shadow."

"What, you think I'm that stupid?"

Knuckles just glared, and I rolled my eyes, running off without another words. How could I not have noticed? I started mentally punching myself for even _thinking_ about Amy or anyone in her profession that way? I knew Amy worked with cars, and yet I still said something so demeaning just because he mentioned a girl working as a mechanic. God, why was I such an idiot? I sighed and decided it didn't really matter since she would never know anyway, and not confront me about it even if she did. I guess it was just her mention that made me a little edgy.

Later that day, I decided to take a run through downtown, where the Station Square city pedestrians mostly lived. The roads there were always either really busy or really empty, but never in between, which really didn't matter to me either way. It was about 4:00, so they were empty at the moment as I zipped through blocks at a pretty slow pace for myself, hoping more for a peaceful jog than anything, though I still exceeded the speed of any normal car.

Unexpectedly, a motorcycle suddenly roared into existence on the road next to me. I stayed where I was, behind buildings and out of site of the rider, who somehow passed me within a millisecond. Puzzled, I quickened my pace to, not yet full speed, but able to keep up with it. Something else caught my eye; in the alley across from the rider was someone else. I was officially weirded-out! It wasn't common to EVER see anyone keeping up with me, even when I wasn't going full speed, and now I had TWO people easily matching my pace, even if one was on a motorcycle! This was no longer about keeping up for fun; this was about solving a mystery.

I was barely focused on my own path, making several near-misses with light poles or buildings, as I tried to focus across the road on the dark streak gliding behind buildings and focusing so intently on the cyclist that they didn't notice me at all! I kept up with the two, hoping I could find out who they were before anything bad happened. Finally, the cycler began to slow from the 200 mph speed and finally skidded to a stop in the parking lot for one of the most popular clubs in town, the Down Beat, and parked the bike in one of the employee spaces up front.

The dark figure across the road stopped on a dime, but was buried in the shadows too deeply to make out who it was. I turned to the biker, who took off the dark helmet they were wearing, short pink curls falling out from under it. I immediately recognized Amy, even with her hair worn short and curly and the tiny outfit that was way too sexy to fit her former personality, as she stepped off the bike and parked it. She ran her hands through her hair a few times, eliminating any tells that she had had it crammed in a helmet, and bounced off into the club.

There was no movement; Amy had gone in, though it seemed almost scary that a 17-year-old was safer in a dance club for ages 21 and up, and the figure across the street remained completely motionless. But why had they been following her? Maybe it was a misunderstanding, and they had been wondering why _I_ was following her, but I still had plenty else to wonder. For example, the speed, why they had hidden, and, plus, it had yet to have noticed me anyway!

I had enough of all of my self-questioning; I was ready for some answers! Lithely and silently, I leaped onto the shorter building by my side and then across the street, now littered with cars, with complete stealth. I took every step carefully; every leap silently, until I was on the building where the mystery person had disappeared. I stayed away from the street lights, which had sensed darkness and switched themselves on and carefully made my way lower; closer. I saw the silhouette in the darkness; a tall, dark figure with a very good build, and red eyes that seemed to stand out against the dark. I bit my tongue and clenched my fists, immediate outrage hitting me as I realized that Shadow the Hedgehog had been following Amy. MY Amy!...Or so I desperately wished. And it was all I could do to not attack him right then and there!  
>But I had no reason I could justify; Amy wasn't mine and she gave me not even the right to protect her, though I'd do every thing I could without getting in her way. As it was, I had no reason to pick a fight with Shadow; not yet at least.<p>

**A/N: Hey guys! Hope this update didn't take too long, but I got no reviews on the last chapter, so I wasn't really sure where to go. I have the idea for the rest of the story, but I need some feedback to make sure you guys like it so far and so I can progress and keep you guys happy with my plot, so reviews would help. I hate to say for you guys to flame me, but if that's what it takes to get some advice on how to make this better, than burn me up! (Though constructive criticism is WAY better!) **

**Anyway, Thanks for reading so far and I really hope to get an idea of how this story's going from your perspective, so please drop me a review and tell me what you like, what you hate, and what you want to see a little more/less of. I hope you guys will read this note and help me out here, because otherwise I might as well be stuck with this cliffie here as the best ending I can do! So let me know and I'll get the next chapter up whenever I do! **

**One other thing; I DON'T HATE SHADOW! Just wanted to say that because of there are so many fics out there where Shadow is the bad guy, but I'm not going to make him bitterly evil! Whether he's bad or not here, you'll have to wait and find out, but I'll tell you now that in any of my fan fictions if I add Shadow, he won't be completely horrible without even a purpose. Just wanted to throw that in there; so thanks for reading and you'll have to help me out with reviews if you want to see what's next. **


	5. Don't Forget

**Chapter 5-Don't Forget**

I had about an hour before my class was supposed to arrive, so I spent the time warming up. I went straight to my personal classroom in the back of the club, where I held classes every other night. It was a vast room with high ceilings made specially to reflect any music I played in there with amazing acoustics, especially when I was the only one there. The walls were sound-proof, blocking out the club's music, and were all made up of gleaming mirrors that reflected back to the class so that they could see themselves and others from all angles to help get an idea of how they were doing.

After finishing a good 30 minutes of stretching so that my leg muscles were stretched and capable of anything from a quick step to falling into Chinese splits. I did a few basic routine dances and a few other free-styles. After wards, I went out to see Rouge as the crowd outside was slowly allowed to spill into the club. Music started on a few low beats, mostly just the DJ warming up the equipment, and slowly transformed into a song.

"Hey Ame-z!" Rouge greeted, waving in my direction and hopping up on the counter to slide over and sit in one of the bar seats.

"Sup Roggy?" I giggled, jumping into one of the spinney-chairs next to her.

She shrugged, pulling one of the bear mugs over and drying it off with a little rag. "You're doing a class tonight, right?" she asked.

"Yup. Anyone ask?"

"Just one last night. Can I send any extras in while you're going?"

"I don't care; a class on _free-style_ is a little random anyway. It wouldn't matter much if you came in late."

"Well, just so you know, a 'little random' class has been the most popular ever since you agreed to do it."

"You're kidding." I said.

"Nope." She answered honestly

"Well damn! I'll try to remember that on payday." I joked and we both laughed.

We talked for awhile until I had to leave to do my class, skipping into the already filled room where everyone was awkwardly stretching or talking.

"Hey everyone! Welcome and my name is Amy Rose. You can call me Amy, though, or Miss Rose or whatever; I don't really give a crap." I introduced to tonight's class as I walked in after the last few people.

"Can we call you Flamin' Rose?" one crazy-haired guy in the back asked.

"Like I said; I don't give a crap." I said as a few people laughed. "Anyway, I'm not going to waste much time on formalities, so let's all start with a few basic warm-up stretches. If any of you can't quite do what I say, don't worry. Sometimes I move into more advanced things without thinking about it, so just do your best and don't hurt yourselves." I said, starting with some toe-touches while I explained the whole idea of how a 'free-style- class' just gave them a few basic moves and the confidence needed to help apply them in their own ways.

I worked through a body-roll and fluent moves, and then moved onto some more precise things, just giving them tiny bits of my own routines to use in their own ways. After a while, I showed them a few of my free-style routines to the songs "Into the Night" by Carlos Santana and "Love Game" by Lady Gaga, then allowed anyone else to pick a song and make something up.

By 11:00, my class was over and the club was closing, so I dismissed all the remaining people, doing my best to avoid overly-flirty guys on my way out who had like my version of "Dirty Dancer" a little too much. After a rough night's sleep, though I'm not even sure why, I got up and went through my usual morning routines; coffee, jog, breakfast, and then walk to Tails's workshop. My clipboard with the days assignments was mysteriously missing, so I figured it was some company trick and went off to work on my car for the week , now about half way repaired, maybe a little more.

''Yo! What the hell are you doin here?'' Chase, one of the other workers at the mechanic, asked from behind, startling me so I nearly banged my head on the hood of the car.

''Um, I kind of work here!'' I pointed out obviously.

''Not for long if you keep this up!'' he teased.

''Alright, what the heck are you talking about?''

''Geez girl! Aint'choo never talked to the boss man?'' he said, falling from a tease to his normal ghetto persona.

''You mean Tails?'' I rolled my eyes and smiled, ''Well of COURSE I have!''

He laughed, ''than how come is it everyone gets the memo that you aint sposed to show up bu-choo?''

''Okay, will you just explain?'' I finally closed the hood of the car I was working on and jumped up to sit on it for his story.

''He's been trying to tell you to take a vacation for about a month now! You don't remember? You finally said you'd take off half of this week and next week and he's left reminders on EVERYONE'S clip boards for weeks! You didn't even see it on the employee tally board?''

''I never read those things! They're just for the newbies who try to shove a Philips head in a flat or forget to get rid of the old oil before re-filling a tank!'' I defended.

''You are one crazy chick.'' he sighed.

''Well I work with you bozos, right?'' I joked as he took my clip board away and put it on the shelf.

''Okay, so when does my banishment end?''

''Not till after next Friday. It was nice knowin' ya, kid.''

I groaned and walked reluctantly out of the shop while dialing Tails's number.

"Hey Amy! Enjoying your-" Tails said into the phone as I walked out of the workshop.

"I _can't BELIEVE _you're _forcing_ me to take a vacation!" I exclaimed.

"Chill out! You've worked for me for a whole year now and you haven't spent _one whole day_ away from the shop! You have overly repressed time off and, no offence, but I think you could use a little break."

"What's all that supposed to mean?"

He sighed, "Will you come and meet Cream and I for lunch? I can explain better face to face, plus I'm a little busy right now, so…" he trailed off and I sort of groaned.

"Fine. When and where should I meet you guys?"

"Um…Vestoe's; 1:30." He said, sounding distracted, so I decided to let him off now.

"Okay; see you then." I agreed, deciding to go talk to Rouge since it was only 11:00, despite the fact I smelled like cars and was dressed like a guy (a dirty one at that).

After dragging her out of bed and explaining the situation, she just laughed.

"So you're telling me that now you're mad since Tails is _forcing_ you to take some time off? Damn, Ame-z; and here I thought you knew what 'fun' was now!" she laughed again at my scoff, "Well I say you get the hell over it and enjoy yourself! That is, if you remember how to relax anymore."

"I do, but I can't! I mean, I could be doing something WAY more useful! I can't just skip half my life for a week!"

"Than skip all of it!" She suggested excitedly, causing me literally gasp and her to laugh again, "You don't have any classes signed up yet for any time between now and then, and I don't have any time off, so I say you take off! Take a real vacation and have some fun!"

"I can't just do that!"

"Well how come?"

"…I'd be lonely and bored!"

"Do I have to force you away from the club too? Or will you just agree for once?"

I groaned, "Let me finish this week at least! I promise I'll think about it, but at least let me do tonight and tomorrow?"

She sighed, "Fine, but I'll force you to do something if you won't on your own just so you know."

…

I met up with Tails and Cream, as planned, at Vestoe's; a pizza place up in Station Square, where Rogue and I had used to occupy an apartment right next to our club but recently moved to a larger one in the town just next to it. They already had a table outside under a sun umbrella with three drinks sitting there already.

"Hey Amy!" Cream greeted, standing to hug me quickly before I sat down with a smile. "We ordered you a Coke, is that okay?" she asked.

"Sure Cream! It's still my favorite." I said, sipping at the cup and letting the drink bubble down my parched throat. "So, Tails…" I began, wanting to go ahead and get through it.

He sighed, "Okay, we'll talk." He reluctantly put down his slice of cheese pizza, obviously having hoped to avoid the topic at least until after we had eaten, "I was going through the employee records about a month ago and yours was about 200 hours ahead of anyone else's, even if they'd been working there longer than you!" he exclaimed and I opened my mouth to rebel, but found no good argument, seeing as how I knew for a fact that sometimes I didn't even record all the hours I worked.

"Is there, like, legal issues with that or something?" I asked.

"Not technically, but there's mental issues with it! From all the records I went through, I couldn't find a single occasion that you didn't spend at least an hour working, no matter what the day was!"

"I just…I didn't even notice."

Tails groaned, "Well it's just not healthy! Every time I see you, Amy, you look different! Ever since…you know…a few years ago, you haven't been quite the same, and it seems you get worse all the time."

"I do not! Okay, maybe I'm not quite as peppy or…innocent all the time, but…I'm still me."

"He's right, Amy. We don't see you nearly as often, but when we do you seem a little different every time. More tired or sad or…I'm not even sure." Said Cream, a hint of worry in her voice.

"Okay, say I am depressed; what would that have to do with working? I'm not gonna have a mental breakdown from fixing too many engines a day!"

"I know, but I think that a little break might help. If you just take some time off to relax or enjoy yourself, I'm sure you'd be at least a little better."

"Tails, I'm fine! Really!" I said. "I just like having a way to occupy myself everyday and working at the shop is a good way to do that!"

"Look, Amy, I'm not telling you this as your boss; I'm saying you should as your friend. Take some personal time, have some fun…just live, okay?"

I sighed; thinking about it, I could see why he would say that. Sometimes I still acted like a zombie, scarring even myself sometimes. He was right; I had been working too much and doing too little for myself for a while now, and a vacation might actually help. "Okay. I'll take some time off, but only on one condition."

"What is it?" asked Cream.

"I need pizza, and I left my purse at home." I said, both of them laughing.

"Deal." Tails said, still chuckling slightly.

"Oh! And, Cream, we have to hang out more!" I added quickly before the deal was finished, "Can you come over Monday night?"

"Sure." She giggled, and I felt a little better already.

After the rest of the day, I had figured I better go somewhere, as I had been so bored alone that I ended up making about f50 brownies for lack of better things to do.

"Okay, I'm taking a…" I began later when I got to the club with Rogue, gulping and afraid of what I was saying, "vacation." I hissed the word, like saying I was actually gonna take one of the date requests from a class member or guy from the shop or whatever.

"Good for you! Hey, maybe you can find a gas station to accept brownies as currency and solve two problems at once!" she said, chewing a chocolate chip slowly.

"But I don't want to stay in the city or go far away. Maybe I'll just go camping or something." Rogue gasped and seemed to cringe at the idea of sleeping outside,"What? I think it sounds nice! Plus, I haven't been camping in so long…" I thought for a moment, "Yeah! I'll go to Majestic Valley! They have some great hiking trails and-"

"Oh stop! You're giving me a headache just thinking of it! Who would _want_ to live outside for any amount of time?" I laughed a little and she groaned, "Just don't stay outside the _whole_ week! I don't want to share an apartment with some dirty hippie or something."

"Okay; I'll spend, like, the weekend camping and then maybe drive for a few days and see where I end up."

She seemed to calm a little. "Okay," she agreed, "that's better than a whole week in the 'not so great outdoors'."

…

There was an uneasiness in the air as I walked home from the store later that day, like someone was there who shouldn't be. Someone watching me that I didn't want to be. I chill crept up my spine as I remembered the night about two years ago when I first realized that Sonic wasn't always there for me. That was what had made me leave; the thought that I could be hurt and he wouldn't be there, even I it had been _his_ fault in the first place! I remembered waking up the next day with no memory what-so-ever. And how much it had hurt to remember again eventually.

The saying 'ignorance is bliss' came to mind and I chuckled darkly, thinking how much I'd love to forget again, only permanently now. Like saying "bring it on" to whatever unnerving presence I felt amongst the always dangerous city streets. But I don't think I'd ever forget that night again; how much I was hurting inside and outside after Sonic stood me up once again. I would _always_ remember the moment of shock when I realized that Sonic wasn't there and I couldn't protect myself; the moment I saw zoom by, not even sparing a passing glance as he did. And I would ALWAYS remember the demonic red eyes, piercing through darkness and aimed on me with nothing but rage.

**A/N: Hey guys! I think that might be my quickest update so far! Probably because the weather's awful and I have nothing else to do (plus I'm in a really writey mood). Looking back over this story, it seems like all my chapters end with some depressing cliff hanger! Do I suck for that? If you review and tell me yes (I totally wouldn't mind by the way; it's just your opinions) I'll see about doing some happier or more full endings, but the way it's outlined in my head, it just kind of worked like that. But I'm totally willing to change that if you guys really want; just drop me a review and let me know please! :) **

**Anyway, I hope you guys liked this chapter and I'll update as soon as a see a few (as in at least two please) more reviews, so get those in and I'll get the next chapter out! Thanks for reading and I hope this chapter wasn't too long and helped fill in some of the blanks I may have left from my last story, if you didn't read it. Alright, bye guys! **


	6. Hero

**Chapter 6-Hero**

I had spent the past few years of my life taking all possible moves to avoid Amy Rose. Come to think of it, it had been more than just the past few years; ever since I had met her and she was always chasing after me, I had gone out of my way to dodge her attempts to catch me. But now it almost felt like I was chasing her.  
>It was apparent that Shadow was stalking her, but I had yet to find out why. <em>Why<em> would SHADOW of all people be watching Amy? It hurt to think I couldn't warn her, but at least I could still keep an eye out for her, whether she knew it or not.

It was Saturday and I had been out late, having stopped in at a diner across from Amy's club to wait until she got out, which wasn't until about 2:00 am. But Shadow had been behind the building the whole time, so I couldn't leave even if I wanted to (or I couldn't justify it anyway). I ended up sleeping way later than I had intended because of that, not waking up until about noon. The first thing that came to my mind after waking up, admittedly wasn't Amy, but was food. I went in and had one of Ella's amazing pizza-pies and then caught sight of the time. How could I have stayed here until 1:00 and not even check up on Amy? I ran out and straight through town, over to the town right outside of Station Square, which wasn't exactly the ideal place for a young, pretty girl like Amy to be living.

Crime rates were higher whereas education was lower, but I knew for a fact that Amy could handle any of the ghetto dudes by just talking them away. I stopped in front of one of the nicer apartment complexes and tried to decide how I would find her anyway. I couldn't exactly walk in and ask to go up to her room, but I didn't want to just wait all day only to find out she had already been kidnapped by Shadow! Luckily, the problem resolved itself as I saw Amy stepping out of the elevator inside, accompanied by Rouge, and carrying a bulky backpack over one shoulder and a smaller one on the other. I was almost relieved to see that she was wearing a long T-shirt and some shorts that were barely visible under the shirt, but with enough color contrast between them to definitely be seen.

In all honesty, Amy looked pretty hot in whatever she wore; it was some power of certain pretty girls to wear ANYTHING and make it look good, and Amy happened to be one of them. But ever since I had started watching her, she almost always was wearing some showy outfit, probably just from the intense summer heat, and looking a little _too_ sexy for comfort. But her outfit now seemed more relaxed than hot, so I felt a little better.  
>I stayed hidden in the alley until I saw her go around to the parking lot and come zooming out on her ridiculously fast motorcycle. Shadow's golden streak of speed was just barely visible in the afternoon brightness, but he was apparent across the street, zooming along next to her behind buildings. I took to the roofs and stayed at an even pace with them both, making sure to focus on where I was going this time and not fall straight off the tall buildings.<p>

To my surprise, Amy rode for nearly an hour, even at a speed more than three times the posted limit, and didn't stop until she had more than left the town and was now way out in the middle of the mountains. It really was a beautiful place, but why she had come here I wasn't exactly sure. I stayed hidden well away, though still in sight, so that I could still see Amy setting up what seemed to be a tent over near a river. Her out alone in the wild with Shadow no more than half a mile away; the thought sent a chill up my spine and I had a burning assumption that whatever it was Shadow wanted with her, it would be found out very soon.

The sun was almost setting and I was half asleep in a tree, though conscience enough to track what both Shadow and Amy were doing, since I was just about dead center between both while Amy set up camp and Shadow dozed against a tree facing away from both of us. I noticed Amy beginning what looked like would be a hike up one of the mountains, since the campsite was pretty much surrounded by them. Shadow stirred slightly, staying out of sight, just like myself, as Amy started up a path almost within sight of him. I decided to stay where I was and keep an eye on Shadow while Amy took her hike, which turned out to be a good plan after just a short few minutes after she had left.

I moved in close enough to see Shadow open up what seemed to be a little screen on his watch, beginning a video communication. I couldn't see the screen or hear whoever it was on the other end very well, but Shadow's voice was clear and I picked up enough of his conversation.

"I've been watching Amy for a few a while now, and from what I can gather, she is no longer in any contact with him." He said, a mumbled reply coming that seemed quite angry or frustrated. "Look, I already told you I wasn't-"

"You will get him for me!" That was loud enough to make out.

Shadow growled in response, "Look, I told you already that I'm not working for you! I've done my part enough times with nothing in return to know you're game! Now I'm done! Whatever I need, I'll just have to get it on my own! If I get the opportunity I'll get him for you, but I'm not going out of my way just to get you Sonic this time!" Shadow yelled, hearing my own name catching me off guard enough to make me gasp and take a quick step back, accidentally snapping a twig and drawing Shadow's attention my way. "I'll talk to you later; I think the problem just resolved itself."

He came towards me in the bushes, but I wasn't waiting around until he got there; I had to get to Amy and protect her, and I'd have to get there _fast_!

**A/N: Hope you guys liked this; short author's note so I can have time to update. Please review and I'll get the next chappie out. :) **


	7. It's Been Awhile

**Chapter 7-It's been Awhile **

I slept late on Saturday morning, then got up and packed everything I needed for my camping trip. After lunch, Rouge walked me down to the lobby to say bye and I told her that I'd be back Monday afternoon, a few hours before Cream was going to come over and spend the night. I rode my motorcycle out into the country, enjoying the beautiful scenery and tranquility the whole way. It really was nice to escape the city and have some time alone in the peace and quiet of the country.

I set up my tent by a nice little river and organized my campsite, deep in the mountains and away from quite a ways from any of the actual camp grounds in the area, though right in the middle of several good hiking trails. I knew it would be dark soon, so I decided to take a quick hike up the mountain and try to catch the sunset from the peak, where it would undoubtedly be breath taking.My plan fell a little short, as darkness had already started to fall by the time I reached the top, having missed the sunset all together. But there was always tomorrow. I sighed and headed back down.

I was glad to have brought a flashlight, since the path soon disappeared, the thick trees blocking all excess light from the day along with that from the moon. I shiver ran over me and I couldn't help but feel a little anxious, alone in the dark in the middle of nowhere. I wasn't exactly scared of wild animals or anything, but in that sort of situation, every creaky branch or snapping twig made my heart beat a little faster.

Leaves had been rustling, mostly from the slight breeze from the east, but a sudden noise of blowing coming through the forest, much faster and stronger than any of the other rustles. Before I could even point my flashlight in the direction, I felt something come at me so fast and unexpectedly, knocking the wind out of me and pushing me to the ground behind a bush. I could tell it was a person, which scared me more than anything, so I pulled my arm back out of shock and connected my fist with its jaw. Hard.

"Ouch! Damn it." I heard after the cracking noise of my knuckles and slap of them on skin. The actual words had me at a loss, having still hoped it had been a branch or some sort of confused bear, but I hadn't expected a voice…much less one I recognized.

I gasped and was about to scream, but a hand covered my mouth, having sensed the oncoming scream. Before I could throw another fist, a hand wrapped up both of my wrists and held them tightly to the ground above my head, having me completely pinned.

"Amy, please be quiet! I'm sorry, but you _really_ have to be still and silent for just a minute. Please?" the strong voice pleaded, sounding so sincere and worried that I found it easy enough to obey, even though I was sure my pounding heart would make at least a semi-audible noise.

He kept a hand on my mouth and his body was on top of mine, keeping me still as well and I began to get scared when he didn't let go of my hands, but there was something to fear coming closer at nearly the same speed as the last gust of wind. A bright golden streak flashed by illuminating the forest for only a split second, just long enough to Sonic's concerned expression, only inches from mine, watching intently after the streak of speed.

"We're not safe here. I'll take you back to your camp for a minute, but then we have to go somewhere else and I can explain then." He said, rolling off of me, but keeping a hand on my mouth and another around my hands. I groaned and he took a quick glance at his hand on my mouth, which I contemplated whether to bite if he wouldn't move it. "Do you promise not to yell if I take my hand away?" he asked quietly.

I nodded and he removed his hand, but kept a grip around my wrists, holding them in front of me now. "You can let me go." I said, trying to pull my hands away from his iron grip.

"Not yet." He said, scooping me up bridal style and taking off through the woods at his super speed I had missed for so long.

We arrived back at my campsite within seconds and he told me to grab anything I needed for the night. I got the small backpack I had brought from the tent, which just had an extra blanket, box of matches, some peanut butter with a loaf of bread, and an extra flashlight. After that, he picked me up again and ran in silence for a good 10 minutes. In all honesty, I hadn't been this scared since before the last time I saw him, but I stayed quiet and tried my hardest to relax while he ran.

I wanted to ask myself why I should trust him, but I couldn't ever remember a time not trusting Sonic, and it seemed like he _couldn't_ be leading me to danger, could he? I was very conflicted, unsure whether or not I had just given up a good two years without heart break for nothing. My heart had been broken so many times with Sonic and seemingly destroyed when I left and told him I didn't want to see him again. I had wondered how I survived with my heart so…dead…but I had. And now I just went with him again? Just like that? Without even thinking twice about the possible heart break yet to come just from being near him?

I chewed on my lip, trying to imagine what could possibly be happening to make him re-enter my life so suddenly and unexpectedly. After flying past scenery unbelievably fast for a good few minutes, Sonic slowed to a stop at a cabin deep in the woods. He set me gently on my feet, keeping his hand around both of mine for a lingering moment as I caught my balance, suddenly slipping them away while he wasn't expecting it.

"You could have let me go sooner, you know." I complained, rubbing my wrists for a moment and twisted my hands to chase after the prickly numbness from his tight grip.

"Sorry, I just didn't want you to try to go anywhere." He was scrutinizing my face, his eyes trapping my gaze so deeply that it almost hurt to rip my eyes away.

"Where are we anyway?"

"It's Chris's family's cabin; I came here once with him a while back, and it's safe for tonight."

I walked around the house, checking to see if any of the doors were unlocked with no luck, while Sonic hastily gathered up enough logs to build a fire, lighting up the pitch black yard. It really was a beautiful little place, the quaint cabin right by the glistening pond with billions of stars and a half moon shining bright over head; a very picturesque spot that I was surprised to have never been acquainted with before. But of course there was still the mystery of what could possibly be going on.

I walked over to the fire, were Sonic was sitting and rubbing his jaw, working it back and forth a little. I cleared my throat quietly as I approached, "sorry for…punching you." I said honestly.

"It's okay; I'm actually kind of glad."

"What? So you _wanted_ a broken jaw, or what?" he chuckled a little and I took a seat on the grass next to him.

"For one thing, I'm glad because I know that if it hadn't been me to startle you like that, you'd know how to protect yourself, and for another thing, my jaw isn't broken." He said.

"Well…okay."

"You sound disappointed." He pointed out and I blushed.

"I did punch you hard; I thought I could have at least broken a jaw with that much force." I admitted awkwardly and he just laughed.

"Keep in mind I'm not really the same as a human in most ways; you probably would have if I hadn't been me." He comforted, which strangely didn't cheer me up by the thought that I could break someone's jaw.

"Why are you here?" I asked in a full attempt to change the subject, "And what's this 'danger' you keep talking about?"

He sighed slightly. "Well, about a week ago, I was taking a run and I noticed something very odd. There was this crazy fast motorcycle going down the street at about my pace, which is DEFINITELY something I don't see every day, and, even weirder, someone across the street keeping up with both me and the motorcycle. I followed them both and, as it turned out, you were the one on the motorcycle and Shadow was following you." My eyes widened slightly, "I decided to keep an eye on things for a while and every where you went, I found Shadow stalking along with you. He could have been trailing you for weeks before I even noticed!"

My heart beat was steadily increasing its tempo; Shadow had been completely out of my mind and my life for so long, even less a part of it than Sonic in the past few years, and now I find out he's been trailing me? For how long? And what would he want with me?

"When you left for your hike up the mountain, I listened in to a conversation he was having. From what I gathered, he needs you for something, though I'm not sure what, and he was trying to find out if, when he nabbed you, I would come after him to get you back. It's someone he's working for who wants me, but he found out that you and I weren't…with each other any more and…"

"So Shadow was going to kidnap me and you had to get me away?" I guessed, trying to fit a few extra pieces together.

"Well…he saw me. And he was going to try to knock me out and take us both, but I got away and found you and…here we are."

"But…" my head was spinning, "why does he want _me_?" I asked, half to myself.

"I was hoping you'd know."

I shook my head, "I haven't seen or heard from or even _about_ Shadow for years!" I tried to remember and there was some nagging at the back of my mind, telling me there was some time, though I couldn't quite recall it, since the whole Metarex ordeal that Shadow had popped in and out of my life.

"You look unsure; do you know when exactly?"

"I…" I closed my eyes, forming a mental image of the black hedgehog with red streaks.

I imagined his golden streak of light from the forest as he ran by and thought about his face, comparing it in my head to Sonic's. The main difference that stood out in my head was between Sonic's deep green eyes and Shadow's piercing red ones. That made an alarm go off in my head, like a siren saying this was it. I remembered those eyes, not just on Shadow, but glaring an evil glow in the darkness. I thought of that night in the alley so many years ago; how I had focused so intently on the blue streak that passed by without hesitation, but only now could I see into the red eyes that had haunted me for so long.

"I saw him two years ago…when I lost my memory. It was him." I didn't open my eyes, trying to make that final image before the blackness descended on me more and more clear. My eyes were hot with tears that wanted to spill, but also dry. I hadn't cried in over a year, having told myself I used up all of my tears when I left, and I didn't expect I'd even be able to at this point.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

My eyes sprang open all at once and things suddenly made so much more sense, though I wasn't sure how. "Yes. But I need to think…I need to remember more before I know why." My head was still fuzzy, all the jumbled thoughts so distant, but they were there. For the first time in so long, the missing pieces started to come into view, and I somehow knew that when I woke up tomorrow they would be there. "I'll tell you in the morning; I just need to catch the thoughts while I'm asleep." I knew it couldn't have made much sense to Sonic, but he nodded, understanding enough.

"Are you tired then?" he asked and I shrugged. "I'll be quiet and let you think if you need me to." He offered, but I banished the idea.

"No! I told you, I'll catch the thoughts whenever I go to sleep; you don't have to be quiet." I said, on-crossing my legs and laying down on my hands to look up at the stars.

"Okay." He said, matching my position.

We were silent for a few minutes when he decided to break the fires crackling streak of uninterrupted conversation. "Amy?"

"Yes?" I answered, my voice quiet.

"A-are you mad at me?" the question caught me off guard and turned towards him, propping myself up on one elbow.

"Why would I be mad?"

"Do you remember…a few years ago when you left? You said you'd forgive me if I promised not to see you again."

"I remember." I said, looking towards the ground.

"I promised I wouldn't and I thought you'd be mad that I just showed up out of no where."

"Honestly, Sonic…" I answered slowly, though before my mind could stop the words from spilling through my heart, "I didn't think you'd keep that promise. I didn't…want you to."

**A/N: Wow, I think this is my longest chapter so far. Hope you guys liked it and I will update again after I see two or three more reviews. Thanks for reading and have a good night!**


	8. Understanding

**Chapter 8-Understanding **

I was faster than Shadow; not by much but enough to get out of his viewing range almost instantly. And speaking of instantly, there was Amy. Wait...

A red flag went up in my mind and I had to stop on a dime as not to collide with her too hard, though the force of my speed knocked me on top of her on the ground behind a bush. But at least now we could hide there until Shadow had passed; then I could get her safely away.

I tried to situate my position so I wouldn't crush the poor girl, but something very hard collided with my mouth before I could even open it to explain. I searing pain hit my jaw all of a sudden and the surprise caused me to draw back slightly.

"Ouch!"I shouted, cursing quietly before realizing Amy must have been pretty freaked out at this point.

She drew in a sharp breath, which I took as my cue to cover her mouth to prevent the scream. She squirmed slightly and I grabbed both of her hands and pinned them above her head. Luckily Amy still had her tiny hands. She pulled back and tried to get free, but I was still more than strong enough to subdue her.

"Amy, please be quiet!" I hissed, "I promise I'll explain everything, just you have to be quiet for just a minute! Please?'' I was practically begging, and Amy seemed to understand as she stopped moving for long enough for Shadow to get safely past us without finding our hiding place.

After taking her back to her camp to get what she needed and moving us far away to spend the night in safety, I explained to Amy what was happening. Or at least what I understood of it. I hadn't expected Amy would know what was going on, but what she did say confused me. She would remember in her sleep or something? It was odd that she could say so that surely, but I trusted Amy to know what she was talking about.

"Amy?" I asked cautiously after a few minutes of the two of us lying in silence in the fire's companionship.

"Yes?" her voice was so soft and sweet that it almost seemed like old times again.

"I thought...do you remember what you said a few years ago? How you said you'd forgive me if I promised not to see you anymore?"

"I remember." her voice sounded hurt, the same way I felt about the question, but I had to know.

"I thought you'd be mad at me for just showing up out of nowhere." I cringed slightly as the words escaped my mouth, preparing for the worst to come with her response.

"I..." she began slowly, "I didn't think you'd really keep that promise. I...didn't want you to."

Her answer had me so taken aback that my mouth literally dropped opened. I sat upright and looked at her, not caring if my face had turned fully aghast.

"That's...what would...?" I wasn't even sure what to say.  
>How could I think Amy wanted me to completely ignore her? Even if it took some time or caused a lot of heartbreak on the way, I surely could have gotten her to forgive me some other way! Why hadn't I even <em>tried<em> to make amends some other way.

"I'm sorry, it's just..." she began, sitting up as well but keeping her eyes fixed on the ground. "I'm sorry! I just...I don't know. I thought it would be better that way. I just...it hurt so much sometimes and I thought...it would be better to be away from you but...it didn't. Back when I was...before...it always just hurt me so much whenever I started to think about you or something, but it was BETTER then! Because...even hurting was better than feeling nothing! And...I guess I was just too stubborn to admit it and go back. I just didn't...I'm sorry" she whispered and I could see the tears welling up in her eyes, even though they were fixated on the ground and refused to meet with mine.

"Amy," I began in a quiet tone, "that's so crazy I don't even know where to start! PLEASE don't be sorry! That's the last thing I want is for you to feel like this is your fault! I swear; if I could go back...I wouldn't have let this happen. I thought the only way you'd ever forgive me is if I left you alone but..."

''Sonic...please...'' her voice was shaky and barely above a whisper. I took both of her hands and held them tightly in mine, tilting her chin up until her glassy jade eyes met mine.

''I just wanted you to be happy.'' I said, holding her gaze as she bit her quivering lip to try to stay still. I couldn't stand the sight of anyone so upset, but Amy? This was just too much!

She opened her mouth slightly to speak but quickly pressed her teeth back against her lips. Her perfectly smooth, shaking lips that looked brighter than normal contrasting with her pale face. I didn't want her to be so sad or look so scared or upset! I didn't want her teeth to pierce those perfect, inviting lips or for her to be shaking in the first place! I cupped her face in my hands, ready to wipe away the offending wetness in her eyes if and when it decided to spill, though she seemed like the last thing she would allow herself to do was cry. She was so close to me; closer than it seemed before. Close enough that all I'd have to do was move forward a few centimeters...and I could push her teeth from her lips and hold her and comfort her. I held her face closer to mine, wanting so badly to close the distance between me and her quivering lip, but I couldn't.

I forced my gaze back to her eyes, big and teary and confused, and I knew I couldn't make this harder than it already was. She seemed so sad and worried; this was neither the right time nor place for this, no matter how much I longed to fall the short distance between her and I.

''I'll 'forgive' you if you'll forgive me.'' I whispered as softly as the air, but with her warm, slow breath falling gently on my neck and her so close and my mouth nearly against her ear I knew she had heard me.

She closed her eyes, tearing me away from the jade green trance I had been in momentarily. I thought for sure that a few of the tears built up on her eyes would take the opportunity to slide down, but was happily denied my assumption; the sight of Amy in tears would probably break my finally healing heart. Instead, she took a slow breath through her nose and slid her teeth back off of her bottom lip and narrowed them to a thin line, curving almost unnoticeably upward at the tips. Her eyes blinked lightly open and her voice sounded quiet, almost weak, like it took every bit of strength she had to utter the words.

''I already have.''

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry this was kind of a delayed update, but Thanksgiving is more of a hustle than a break around my house. We had one thing Thursday, another yesterday, and I've just been so bombarded with everything (like my special fancy cupcakes that are never nearly as tasty as they are pretty and about 400 pounds of potato salad) that I couldn't even get in my room, much less the computer. I know, totally lame excuse, but I'm an author, so of course I make stuff up! Plus, with all the car ride time, I've already written the next chapter, so all I have to do is transfer it to my computer. So let's get in some reviews and I'll update! And, just so you know, next chapter will be VERY big!**

**Also, I was thinking about adding some other couples in here, so any suggestions? I was thinking about some Knouge (because they're my second favorite after Sonamy) but I want some of your opinions first. Maybe a little TailsxCream (not sure what their couple name is), but, again, need your input first. Well, business isn't over yet; gotta get a cake made now, so if I finish and find at least two more reviews, you guys get double chapters today! :) So let's see if we can't get a double-whammy for a very awesome Saturday (it's my parent's 18****th**** Anniversary, so I get to spend the day at home babysitting in my pj's :D) Okay, bye guys! **


	9. Falling Inside the Black

**Chapter 9-Falling Inside the Black**

I knew I was being followed; it was a natural instinct. I quickened my pace to try to escape, but soon enough found it had been pointless. In the alley, I pulled out my hammer at an attempt the defend myself, but it was swiped from my hands before I knew what was happening, being thrown aside on the slimy wet pavement. A strong body pinned me against the wall and my lip began to quiver as the dark face smirked, eyes a piercing red that burned into mine.

''I believe you had a little story for me.'' said the dark form.

''I...I don't understand.'' I tried to keep my voice from shaking, but found it much harder than I had thought.

''You know what I mean!'' his grip tightened to a strangle as he held my arms to my sides. ''What did they do to her?'' he demanded.

''Who?'' I asked frantically.

''Maria! I know you know, but I DON'T! So you'd better tell me or I SWEAR I'll...''

''I don't know what you're talking about!''

''I know you do! You can see it, so just _tell_ me!''

''I don't know anything about Maria; I wasn't there!''

''Well I was, but I can't seem to remember anything, so either you tell me or I'll make sure you know how I feel.''

''But I really don't know!'' my words choked out as a few tears slipped down my horrified face. Why would Shadow come and demand information from me that I didn't even have? Yes, I had heard of Maria, but only from either Sonic or him; I didn't know what happened to her!

''Look, I _know_ you can see things; even if you weren't there or it happened long ago. I was there, I know I was, but I can't remember any of it! So I need you to take a little peak back into the past and tell me what I want to know; if you don't, I'll be forced to take...desperate measures.'' his voice was dripping with venom; how could he know all this?

''It's not like that! I can't just summon some event in history and watch a re-run; I don't even know _how_ to do it!'' I said, trying to defend myself.

''Look, I gave you a chance and if you're not gonna take it-''

''I CAN'T DO IT!'' I yelled, slipping out of his harsh grip before he could tighten it around me and instantly grabbing my piko-piko off the ground.

Before I could swing, however, he used his super fast chaos control teleportation to move behind me, once again removing the hammer from my grasp and knocking me to the ground. It collided with my head and things were instantly black. I tried to resist, but blackness had swallowed me into it before I could even oppose. I fought to maintain consciousness, trying to move or yell or do anything, but all I could do was struggle.

''Amy...'' the darkness spoke soft and distantly, like maybe someone far away in the black. ''Amy...Amy...'' the words seemed to get a little closer each time until my eyes shot opened and I sat upright, my clenched fist colliding with something on the way up.

''Ouch! You've _really_ gotta stop doing that!'' I blinked to get my eyes adjusted, looking over to see Sonic rubbing his cheek tenderly.

''What? Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?'' I asked, immediately relieved that it was just a dream, though one that did recap a certain event.

''I'm fine, are you? You were shaking and you looked like you were having a nightmare.''  
>The world was dull, but sunrise had to be close, as a light shone behind the dark clouds, creating a morning fog at the reaches of me and Sonic's little campsite.<p>

''Well...it was _sort_ of a nightmare, only...''

''Do you remember anything else about Shadow now?''

I nodded, closing my eyes to inspect all memories and make sure I wasn't missing anything. His face brightened a bit and I assumed this meant sleep-time was over.  
>''I remember what he said to me in the alley...''<p>

''When in the alley?''

''It was...the night I lost my memory.'' he nodded, understanding though he grit his teeth in an effort to not look too frustrated. ''Well...you know how after that big chaos control thing a while back Shadow couldn't remember anything?'' Sonic nodded again, ''He still kind of remembered Maria, but he said he couldn't remember what had happened to her. He thought...I would know.''

''That's crazy; how would _you_ know about something like that that happened over 50 years ago?''

''Umm...have I ever told you that sometimes, and I'm not even sure how, I can...see memories from the past? They don't have to be mine or even someone's whose alive, but...'' Sonic's mouth dropped opened slightly. ''I can't do it all the time, in fact, I don't even know _how_ to do it, but sometimes it just...comes. Usually in a dream, but once or twice it was different.''

''For how long?''

''Forever I guess; but it's not really common at all! It's only happened like 20 or 30 times in my life!''

''What kinds of things do you see?''

''Sometimes they're just random, like a kids birthday party from the 1960's, or a couple buying a new TV, but sometimes they help me prepare for something that might've been a lot more unexpected otherwise. A few times, on the night before a big battle with Eggman, I'll see things, like, from World War I or something; like just a heads up. Or sometimes when I was upset I'd see one of the nice times you and I had had together or my mom or whatever. Just things that have happened and _someone _witnessed whether it was me or someone else.''

''But...why didn't you ever tell me?''

''They were never really very important to anything now, plus it's so uncommon that it wouldn't even matter.''

''So...Shadow thinks you can look back and tell him what happened to Maria?''

I nodded, ''He threatened me if I didn't and said he'd take away my memory too, and he did. Mine just somehow came back after about a week, only I guess selective amnesia blocked that little part out of my mind; I didn't remember who it was in the alley until just last night.''

''So Shadow wants you to take away until you tell him what happened and, if I had to guess, I'd say he wanted me to hand over to Eggman or something.''

''Small world.'' I joked.

''Very.''

**A/N: Well, that was harder than I thought; two updates in one day! But you guys deserve it! You met my quota, so here's your reward! Hope you guys like this chapter; know I LOVED it! Explains a lot, huh? As far as the plot and everything? Yeah, pretty epic stuff, right? Okay, sorry for being so conceded. Anyway, drop in a review and I'll get the next chapter up!**

**By the way, here's a little random question to the most anonymous reviewer I've ever seen: How'd you get those star thingies to not just look like * but an actual star? Sorr, that was totally random to most of you, but I'm curious. You know who you are, so mind letting me in on the mystery of the awesome star thingy? Lolz; two or three reviews and next chapter will be UP! Thanks everyone! :)**


	10. Fine Again

**Chapter 9-Fine Again**

This was unbelievable! How could Amy never tell me this? Or...anyone? I'd NEVER known Amy to keep ANY secrets, and now this? It was just...shocking. And that _Shadow_ knew was even more surprising! Why would he try to FORCE her to tell him what happened without even bothering to ask first? It made me want to go find him and settle this right now! But I couldn't do that to Amy; Shadow and I were equally matched and I couldn't risk leaving her here alone, especially if he would be the one back here first.

She seemed rather embarrassed after my stunned silence fell. Or, I guess probably just ashamed, since I did happen to be staring her down with a gaping expression. I blinked it off and tried my best to shake of the shock, clearing my throat to fully break the trance.

"Well, at least we know what he wants you for now." I said, attempting to break the awkward silence.

Amy shrugged, "I wish I could just tell him it doesn't work like that without him being so irrational; that would settle things."

"Yeah, but Shadow's pretty irrational. For now I think it's best we both just lay low."

"You mean, like, stay out here where he won't find us or something?" she sounded a little surprised.

"Well, not specifically _here_, but pretty much. At least until I can think of a good way to get through this."

"For how long, do you think?"

I shrugged, "A few days maybe; until Shadow can chill a little. Do you have any conflicts with that?"

"Um…I guess not, but I'll have to call Rouge or something before tomorrow and I _know_ I won't get a signal here!"

"Well if I we can get into the cabin I know there'll be a phone."

"No, it's okay for now."

"Okay."

The day progressed slowly, which, for once, seemed not slow enough for me. I hadn't seen Amy in two whole years, after all; we had a lot of catching up to do. I told her about all my new deals with the president or city or whatever on how to coordinate crime fighting with the police and speed team equally. I told her about some of the cooler cities I'd visited and a few of the especially hard battles, since she had apparently boycotted the news to escape painful reminders of me.

It amazed me, really how much she had changed compared to me; I was still the same cocky subjugator as always, but Amy had turned from the eccentric girl who used to chase me down on a daily basis demanding a date or, sometimes, marriage into a matured woman who seemed to avoid relationships of any kind whenever possible. I couldn't help feeling responsible for part of this, if not all, having broken her heart so many times that I was surprised it was still beating.

"Okay, so I know you work at Tails's shop, but what's up with your nightly club visits? Are you just a party machine and don't mind faking ID to get in or…"

"No!" she interjected, "I work there; Rouge is executive manager and she got me a job there."

"Okay, so what does a kid do at a club?"

"First of all, I'm not a kid; I'm only two years younger than you, after all! And as for what my job is, I teach a dance class there just about every other night."

"Ooh, fancy!" I teased, smiling at the thought that spread across my mind, "So what kind of dancing?"

"Free-style, which I think is pretty stupid to teach a _class_ for, but Rouge says it's a big hit, so…" she shrugged.

"Well that's something I'd like to see." I smirked in spite of myself; Amy was definitely hot, but I didn't know she could _dance_! I'd have to dust off my dance shoes and drop by some time.

"Maybe you will." She copied my smirk, though it made me just want to laugh and hug her she was so darn cute! "And why do you keep smirking like that?"

"Drat, you've figured me out."

"Figured what out? I just asked a question and it's not like it isn't _obvious_ when you smirk at me like that!"

I couldn't help but laugh, "You're just so…" I contemplated my next word before speaking; hot, sexy, endearing, funny, cute…the possible words were endless, "different." Now why would I say that?

"Different?" she repeated and I mentally slapped myself.

"Not like that! Just…you've changed a lot since I last saw you."

"Well you have too."

"Not like you did. I'm still the same show-offy smart as-allick," I corrected myself, "but you're, like, I don't know. More secluded and outgoing at the same time. Like you're more open to how you feel and less open to your personality."

She frowned a little and my heart sank slightly, "Honestly, it's because I…feel less like a person and more like a robot. Like I know what I have to do even though it's all kind of pointless in the end."

"Why?"

"Well…I don't know really. I remember the first night when I told you I was leaving, I felt…dead. Kind of like my heart was so broken it didn't work anymore and I was just empty and numb."

"Amy, why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I haven't seen you since then." She stated stubbornly.

I groaned, "Was I really worse than all that?"

"No," she sighed, "but if I went back…I don't know. I guess it's just the same thing as you; after everything I said I felt like going back would be breaking a promise, not just to you but me too. I guess I just told myself that what was done was done and I wasn't going back."

"Well, no offense, but I think we've both been pretty stupid lately."

"None taken; I totally agree."

"So we're really good now?" I was still nervous that she would get mad for something, even something little, and it would go back to like none of this had ever happened. I don't think I could stand it if she left _again_!

"We're good; don't be so scared." She said, obviously picking up on my uneasiness. "I'm not leaving again; I _can't_ at this point. This is actually the most…alive I've felt since I left."

"But we're not even doing here; we're just sitting here talking."

"Yeah, but it's that I'm talking with _you_ that makes it count." And that made me hug her, whether she wanted me to or she'd hate it or not, it was impossible not to. What else should you do when your heart suddenly puts itself back together all at once? And to my delight, she hugged back.

**A/N: ** **Yay! It worked! Thanks Cody :3 Okay, so this chapter was totally fun to write! I went back and forth between this and other stuff all day and I didn't get a chance to re-read it, so sorry if it might be a little jumpy from one thing to another, but I don't even think it was now that I recall, so this is a moot point. Okay, whatever, hope you guys liked it; let me know if you did and if you didn't then tell me why not; it's the only way I can improve!**

**Drop a review in and after I see at least two more I'll have the next chapter up! By the way, I'm thinking about starting another story, but I wanna know if you guys think it's a good idea or if I should just wait till I finish this one (because, yes, I will have to end it someday :(.) It won't be another Sonic story, just so you know, but I might try to finish this one plot developing in my mind and post it as another Sonic fic. But my next story will be a Phineas and Ferb story, just because I'm gonna try to branch out to other archives, so what do you guys think? Don't care or you'd rather me wait till I finish this one? I don't know, it might be kind of a waste of time even asking, but whatever. I just thought I'd ask.**

**Anyway, review and I'll update! :D **


	11. I Don't Wanna be in Love

**Chapter 11-I Don't Wanna be in Love**

It was hard to believe that only a few days ago I was doing everything in my power to avoid any and all thoughts of Sonic the Hedgehog, but now I was lying here in the tall grass with him feeling just as care-free and serene as I had several years ago with him. He had this stupidly wonderful way of always making me talk to him, whether it was words I intended to say or not. How could he make me spill all those words from my mouth without even thinking it through? I mean, I had just told him things Rogue, my freaking ROOMATE didn't know for God's sake! So how did he do it?

It seemed like I had been saying so much more than him, which was weird because _I_ wanted to know what had happened to _him _too, but every time I asked he just ended up telling me that he hadn't really changed other than missing me. From how I saw it, he was being careful, like he didn't want to say anything bad or I might just leave again. But I wasn't physically capable of walking away from Sonic; not now or ever from now on.

It was such a beautiful day; hot like summer should be, but with a gentle breeze and, as we were just lazing around in the tall grass, the stillness made the heat seem to sink in and blend with my body temperature so that the extent of its effect was a few small beads of sweat dotted across my arms and stomach where I had tied my shirt up.

The grass was long and over my head when I lay down next to Sonic on the little hill we had chosen for our afternoon spot, so it felt almost like being separated by a thick forest rather than scattered grass. I kept glancing over to make sure he was still there until his hand finally slid into mine, a sweet reminder that he wasn't going anywhere either.

"I still need to call Rouge; it's almost sunset and it'll be harder to do anything when it's dark." I said, breaking our momentary silence.

"Okay; maybe we can find a key to the cabin or something now that it's brighter out." He suggested and stood up, offering a hand and pulling me quickly onto my feet so that I stumbled back a few steps at first. "Hah; same ole Amy." He laughed as I rolled my eyes.

"It doesn't help that my legs are both asleep." I said, trying to catch my footing without my knees wobbling.

"Well tell em to wake up; you can't go down a hill this steep if you're shaky." He said, giving me only a second to stretch before deciding it would take too long and scooping me up, almost instantly at the bottom of the hill.

"Jeez, I'm gonna wake up tomorrow and not be able to move at all." I groaned.

"Why's that?"

"Well, I skipped a morning jog today and we've both been lying around doing nothing; usually I've done about five miles _at least_ by now in a day!"

"No worries, Ames; I don't think you're at risk of laziness or anything." He laughed, poking my flat stomach teasingly.

"That's probably what Decoe and Bocoe used to tell Eggman." I said, both of us laughing a little.

After a few minutes of searching for a key that probably wasn't even there, I noticed one of the windows a little crooked in the middle. Sure enough, it wasn't locked on the inside and we could open it and get inside easily. After calling Rouge and explaining that my camping trip had been "extended" and telling her to let Cream know, I met Sonic in the kitchen, where he was searching through cabinets for something to eat.

"They have absolutely nothing here but canned soup! Well, that and some _very_ old…I think some sort of vegetable." He said, peering into a plastic container with a shudder.

I took a quick skim through the cupboard, spotting a can of chili with a funny idea. "Okay, I'm going to do a magic trick, but you can't come into the kitchen until I tell you to." I said with a smile.

"How is it a magic trick if I can't watch you-"

"Just go!" I interrupted and he rolled his eyes but obediently left the room.

I snuck back outside and retrieved my little backpack I had brought. My next step was turning on the stove top and silently celebrating when it actually worked. I heated up the can of chili while cooking the whole pack of hot dogs from my bag. I hoped Sonic still liked chili dogs, but, then again, I wasn't sure if he could ever _stop_. Finally I told him the trick was done and he just about exploded from gasping so hugely.

"No way! How'd you make chili dogs out of soup?" he exclaimed.

"I told you: magic." I said, waving my hands around mystically.

"Well magic tastes pretty good." He said through his already stuffed mouth. I laughed and picked up a plain hot dog, ignoring his babyish tease that I "couldn't handle the awesome".

It wasn't until that night that I started to feel wrong about all of this. It was those horrible dreams! Why couldn't just be normal? I didn't _want_ to remember anything, but apparently my subconscious was relentless in keeping me away from Sonic. I awoke the next morning having replayed that horrible night. How he had bluntly said to my face that he didn't care.

I woke up before him, obviously since the sun had yet to have risen and the world was an eerie sort of grayish orange. I was shaking but not crying; I hadn't cried in quite a while and I wasn't sure I was even capable of such anymore. I grit my teeth, longing to have forgotten with yesterday. I could forgive and forget, I had hoped, but now the second one seemed impossible. I would _never_ forget the devastation as he told me that he really didn't care.

It seemed different now, but I knew it couldn't be! I was willing to forgive him and all, but…I wasn't sure if I could ever love him again. No, I would always be able to, but I couldn't let myself. Not if it might end in another few years of chasing someone with the false hope that one day he would finally see it my way.

I waited until he woke up on his own, trying my best to forget the horrid flashback before saying something irrational.

"Sonic, I want to go home today." I told him

"Really? But…what about Shadow?"

"I'll lay low and I won't go anywhere alone or anything; I'll be fine."

"But…I thought we were…having fun." He sounded disappointed, but what I really needed was some time alone to think.

"I am, I mean-_we_ are, but…" I sighed, "I just want to go home right now."

He sighed too, much more deeply and sadly than me though. "Okay."

We went back by my campsite and I tried my best to let go of my own dismay from the dream. I wanted to be happy, like we were yesterday, and did my best to keep us both in high spirits.

"You know we'll hang out again now, right? Just like we used to, only…I'm not always in the same house is all."

"Yeah, you're right." He said, brightening at the thought.

After packing up my campsite and loading it onto my motorcycle, I noticed him sulking slightly. "Do you want to see how fast I can go?" I asked with a smirk.

"Sure!" he said, obviously pleased in remembering that my motorcycle didn't quite remain at average speed.

"Will you ride with me? You can tell me to stop whenever and I'll let you run, but…I want you to get the full affect, ya know?" I asked, seeming less awkward a question than I had thought it would.

"Okay." He agreed.

"But you have to promise…that you won't worry about me. No matter what I do."

He thought about this for a moment, "Don't do anything purposefully stupid," he lectured and I laughed.

I got out the spare helmet I had only used on the rare occasion Rouge needed a ride and handed it to him. After we both had one on, I mounted the bike and let him slide on the back, wrapping his arms around my waist a little too carefully.

"You're gonna have to hold on tighter than that." I said, revving the engine and checking that it had full power.

I felt his breath on my neck as he chuckled and tightened his grip around me. I had to make a conscious effort to stay focused on the bike rather than the tingling feeling I got whenever his body touched mine in any way. I released the clutch, slowly at first until I got onto an actual road. That's when I started going fast.

I brought the bike faster and faster down the empty highway, getting closer to the maximum speed, I was sure, but I had never really reached it to have something to go by. Still the speedometer easily climbed past 200 and slid higher by the second. I smiled behind the tinted shield in front of my helmet, giving it enough gas to quickly climb more than another hundred miles per hour.

A lot of people didn't believe in speed like this, but here it was, right at my fingertips. I pushed up past the half way mark on the speedometer, past 500 and up to 8 by the time I reached the interstate. By this point, Sonic decided to run along side me off road to compare speeds. I took off again at full speed, keeping my eyes on the road that was passing to quickly to really see anyway, but sparing a few quick glances to him keeping pace with me on the edge of the road.

It wasn't long before I reached my exit ramp, leading mainly towards Station Square but with my city just past it. I barely had time to slow from my speed of 850 miles per hour to a speed that I could even possibly make the 360 degree rounded exit. Still at 300, I leaned all the way into the turn, feeling the heat of the road only five inches from my shoulder as I leaned the bike practically sideways to make the turn.

We raced all the way through the city, swerving around traffic and going neck and neck all the way to my apartment. We arrived and my motorcycle skidded to a halt in the parking lot. I parked and met with Sonic, who actually had to stop and take a few breaths.

"Damn, girl! How'd you do that?" he asked and I giggled.

"Like? Think I could beat Sam?"

He shrugged, "You're actually almost even with him. If he knew, he's force you on his inventor's team. But…HOW?"

"Tails taught me everything I know." I said.

"Well I'll tell you one thing, you're pretty good at keeping up. Promise to be careful, though?"

"I know."

"Not just about the motorcycle?"

I didn't meet his gaze, so he came closer, so close that it hurt. His hand brought my chin up and a gentle hand brushed the hair from my face. I bit my lip, trying not to break down and fall into the deep pools of his emerald green eye.

"I…" I trailed off, feeling us somehow growing closer. No! This couldn't happen! Not now! "I can't do this!" I said, pulling away.

He looked at me strangely for a second, seeming confused.

"I mean…" I didn't know what I meant, but I continued anyway. "Every time I'm with you, I start to fall for you; it's involuntary! But…I can't! I'm sorry, this is probably just dumb, but…"

"But what?" he sounded concerned, but not provocative.

"But…just…stop it!"

"Stop what?"

"Making me fall in love with you! I don't _want_ to be in love!" I practically yelled, throwing my helmet onto the handle bars of my bike and running towards the stairs. Away from him.

"What can I do?" he called after me, but I needed time to think. I wanted to stay and tell him, but I couldn't.

Back in my apartment, I slammed the door, not caring if Rouge was still there asleep with some random guy. That was her basic night when I was away, so I was sure she had tried to make up for it while I was gone. But instead of Rouge, I found the apartment scarily quiet. Too much for comfort. Before I could stand to go and get my iPod, I saw a dark figure appear in front of me. Before I could scream, a cloth went over my mouth and I involuntarily inhaled the smell, gagging once and then going black.

**A/N: Hope you like; three reviews for next chappie! Oh! Getting tense! I'm pumped here, so let's hope I don't let go of that and I can update much sooner! Alright, everyone! Feedback for more! Thanks for reading! :)**


	12. Use Somebody

**Chapter 12- Use Somebody**

It was nice to sit back and relax a little, especially with Amy. Her hand felt so...right in mine. All we had to do was talk and I felt my heart begin to soar, regardless of how long it had been since I took recognition in it at all. Like after years without even caring to care about anything, I finally had something, or rather someone, to make up for it all. I mean, I was great friends with Tails, Chris, even Knuckles, but Amy...she was more. More than a friend, she was my HEART! And it was hard to believe I could survive without her in the first place, much less for two years!

The day only seemed to get better as Amy magically made her world famous (or at least to me) chili dogs. It's beyond me how she could walk into a kitchen with nothing but soup and make the most delectable creation in the history of layered spices and processed meat! I think maybe she is a magician, or at least a wizard in the kitchen. Why I had spent years fretting a day we might see each other again and even longer how it would feel was now so crazy! This wasn't hard or scary or...anything I would have thought! This was the long-awaited bliss I'd been MISSING since Amy left!

The next morning seemed so different. Like an imaginary door had been closed between us, but I hadn't walked away. I could still talk to her and hear the emotion in her voice fluctuating between happy and sad, excited and confused, opened and closed. She wanted to go home, but why? We had been having such a great time and she just woke up the next morning wanting to get away as fast as she could.

She made it clear it wasn't my fault, since she kept talking and playing around, just more...distracted. Maybe she was home sick, or tired of the ''great outdoors'', or maybe it was just some girl thing I wouldn't even _want _to understand! But no matter how much she tried to look like it, I could tell something was wrong. Some reason she wanted to get away from _me_ right now!

So I took her to pack up her camp site and watched very closely to find no traces of Shadow what-so-ever. We were safe here, but how close he could be to her house was unknown. Time seemed to stretch endlessly until she finally had tied the last thing tightly unto her motorcycle.

I was just beginning to wonder how to stay at the same pace when her face lit up slightly, a metaphorical light bulb all but visible above her head.

''Do you want to see how fast I can go?'' her question caught me slightly off guard, but in an exciting sort of way.

''Sure!'' I said, putting on the helmet she tossed me and agreeing to her 'no worrying' terms.

It lifted my spirits even more just thinking about that; how she felt the need to warn me not to get too worried. It just proved how well we still knew each other; her that I would be protective over some dangerous stunt and me that she would do them, but still be safe. I got onto the motorcycle and wrapped my arms cautiously around her waist as the engine roared to life, revving loud and clearly.

''You're gonna have to hold on tighter than that.'' her voice sounded teasing, almost flirty if I thought about it.

The very tone made me tighten my grip, her thin body seeming so fragile in my arms, but at the same time...so right. My fantasy was ripped away as the bike lunged forward, taking off quickly and leaving the thoughts behind us. It was faster than I thought as she increased the speed steadily onto actual roads rather than the little dirt paths in the woods.

I ran next to the incredibly fast machine as we got onto the interstate, having felt a little twitchy that day anyway after lazing around yesterday. I was doing a heavy jog by the time she had finished accelerating, surely surpassing 700 mph a while back at least! But Amy barely slowed at all for the sharp turn off the interstate and into town, swerving so hard I thought she would fall over! With the bike leaned almost all the way over in the sharpest part, I prepared for the extreme possibility and being able to zip over in the nick of time if necessary. Amy had it under control though, handling it with such grace and skill that I almost didn't worry.

When we got back to her apartment complex, I made it clear, though, that I would. It felt so nice to hold her in my arms, even if just for a short moment to lay down the rules. Her jade eyes were so easy to fall into; like I pool I didn't mind drowning in forever. Just being in the same space as her made me think of all the distance we had lost lately. It made me want to keep her closer than ever so that it would never be repeated.

''Stop it!'' she said suddenly, waking me up from my short fantasy and breaking away from both my grip and gaze.

''Stop what?'' I asked, honestly confused.

We hadn't argued the whole time yesterday or the evening before or even today so far! That was probably a new record for us, but of course it had to be broken. And I didn't even know why!

''I don't WANT to be in love!'' it was her final word before escaping up to her room.

''What can I do?'' I pleaded, afraid to go after her. She probably just wanted to be alone for now, but her last phrase kept ringing in my ears.

Amy had always been chasing me, trying her hardest to set up dates or get me to go with her places, and never getting turned down. I guess I should have known she would stop someday, but I always told myself that would be that day I start. The day she gave up would be mine to admit it: I like her too. No, quit trying to hide it! You love her! Okay, I LOVE her! There! I said it! Or...thought it.

I never accounted for if she didn't want me to, though. I always thought it would be because she gave up or got tired, but...not because she didn't love me anymore. Or didn't want to. She said she didn't _want_ to, which meant I still had a chance! If she knew I felt the same way, maybe she would still take me! Maybe she...would still love me.

I had to get to her fast, though! Oh, well first find out her room number, but then I'd get to her fast! The door man up front seemed skeptical at first, but if Sonic the Hedgehog says ''it's an emergency'', everyone listens. I zoomed up the stairs, elevators were stupid, to her floor and was about to bang on the door when I decided that might not be the smartest thing to do.

Instead, I knocked more lightly and listened closely inside. There was no sound at first, but then I heard some shuffling and the two words that made my heart stop.

"Chaos Control." The voice was very quiet and I at first thought I had imagined it, but there was utter silence inside just following.

I knocked louder a few times and then opened the door, since it was still unlocked. I called her name and walked around the apartment. The main room had a nice, red leather couch on one side and a TV across from it. A bunch of pillows were stacked in one corner and there was a huge stereo with speakers seeming to extend all around the room, about a billion CDs scattered on the floor around it. In the next room, the kitchen, there were a few dirty dished in the sink and the garbage looked full. There were coffee stains on the linoleum counter top, but it was otherwise spotless, as was the floor. I went down a hallway, the only other exit visible from the living room, and found two bedrooms.

The one on the left was a complete wreck, strewn with clothes all over the floor. Make up had spilled from a dresser onto the floor along with too many other things to mention. I assumed this was Rouge's room and went across the hall to the last unexplored room. I called her name a few more times as I entered the dim room on the right. It was much cleaner, though not obsessively clean, like Ella kept things. Suddenly, my wrist communicator rung and I answered the video com from Tails, an almost inaudible creak coming just as I did, though I thought it was just the floor or something.

''Sonic! Where've you been? You left in a hurry the other day and we haven't heard from you since.'' the two-tailed fox said cheerily.

''Well...I...ran into an old friend.'' I stuttered, my nerves frazzled as I was on edge. It was Shadow; it _had_ to have been! But there was no trace of him now; what could I do?

''Really? Who?'' Tails was blissfully unaware of the tragedy; I hated to ruin his peace but…

''It was-'' I was cut off as a figure standing in the shadow of the door frame caught my attention. Before I could react, something very hard knocked into my head, sending me straight to the floor. I only had time to see Rouge's stunned face as she turned on the light before I blacked out.

**A/N: You guys better be grateful; I thought about ending it before that last sentence, but that would have been too evilly suspenseful even for **_**me**_** to take; and I KNOW what's coming next! So let's get some reviews in return, kay? Lolz; Hope you guys liked this chappie; I know most of it was just a recap of the last, only in Sonic's POV, but I thought it should be there, ya know? Oh, just a heads up: Amy's still knocked out, so next chapter will be in general POV for the most part. Just thought I oughtta put it here in case I forget in the next one. So, there ya go!**

**I hope I didn't take too long to update, but things have been pretty crazy round here. Christmas coming up, trying to finish two out of four of my high school courses before winter break (I can do that 'cause I'm homeschooled :P) so I can skip a grade and graduate with my big sister. Plus about a million orchestra rehearsals and stuff because I'm doing a Christmas parade this Sunday and winter concert next week. So yeah, pretty hectic. Okay, you guys probably didn't even care about all that now that I think about it, so sorry for being a time-wasting geek. (But I'm a professional geek!)**

**Okay, thanks for my last reviews and three more gets next chapter! So get those in and I'll get it out, given my schedule permits. Oh! One other thing: Anyone who wants to be cyber-buddies, feel free to message me. I really would like to know some of you better, so don't be afraid to talk to me; I don't bite (or at least not that you know of =(: lol, vampires XD) I just want to try to make new friends, ya know? Okay, sorry for my ramblings, I'll let you review now. :)**


	13. What hurts the Most

**Chapter 13-What Hurts the Most**

**General POV**

''Sonic? What's going on? What was that clang?'' Tails asked frantically, trying to figure out what happened over the watch communicator.

''Sonic? What the hell?'' Rouge asked, just as confused as the kitsune.

''Rouge? This is Tails; I'm on video chat on Sonic's watch.'' Tails said thinking fast.

''Hey Tails; what's up?'' Knuckles asked, joining into the mix-up on Tails's side.

Rouge cautiously stepped around Sonic, who was knocked out on the floor, and picked up his watch. She scrutinized the tiny video screen and tried to piece it together. ''Tails? What the fuck is going on?'' she practically yelled. ''Why the hell was this bastard here?''

''Chill out Rouge! I don't know what's going on either!'' Tails lifted his hands as if in surrender. ''Where's Sonic?''

''I just knocked him out-''

''You WHAT?'' Tails cut her off.

''Holy shit! What'd ya use?'' Knuckles joined, momentarily forgetting who he was talking to.

The furious bat glared just at his voice as he entered the screen. ''Okay, I can't stand this! Get your asses over here and we'll work this out. And by the way, I only knocked him out because I walked in the house and heard a voice in here. I didn't know it was him.'' then she muttered ''probably would've if I had too.''  
>The two came quickly to the apartment complex, finding Rouge waiting on the couch impatiently. She answered the door the very second they knocked, turning down the speakers playing <span>S &amp;M<span> by Rihana as the boys walked in. Tails gave her a polite smile and Knuckles a smirk, to which she glared.

''So where's Sonic?'' Tails asked immediately.

''Passed out in Amy's room; down the hall on the right.'' she said and Tails practically flew down the hall. Knuckles took the chance to stand next to Rouge for as long as she would stay. Seeing as how she didn't want the echidna waking behind her, she stayed put for a moment.

''Hey Rouge.'' he greeted in a deep voice she had used to find irresistible.

''Ass hole.'' she said coldly, keeping a glare on her face expressing her pure annoyance against his smirk.

''Nice to see you too.'' he said and she groaned pushing him along after Tails, ''So how did you manage to knock him out?''

''Frying pan, and I can do you too if you don't-''

''Well please do.'' Knuckles interjected, his voice nothing short of sexy.

''Ugh!'' Rouge groaned, shushing him as Tails walked back out of the room.

''Okay, Sonic's fine,'' he began.

''No shit!'' Knuckles interrupted again, receiving glares from the other two but still loving the moment just as much.

''Anyway, he should wake up in a minute or so. Do you know what's going on, Rouge? Anything could be helpful.''

''All I know is that I haven't seen him since Amy moved in and I wasn't too eager to see him again, and I'm pretty sure Amy wouldn't be either.''

''Where is Amy?'' Tails asked.

''She went camping or some shit; she was supposed to be back today, but she said it would be extended or something. She's probably still in the damn mountains or something.''

''So she's not here?'' Knuckles asked.

''Um, I think I just said that, smart one.'' Rouge spat. ''But what about you? Any clue as to why the hell he was in my house?''

''Not much more. He left a few days ago without saying anything and I had just called him to ask where he was when you came in. He said he had 'ran into an old friend', but you knocked him out before he said who.'' Tails informed. ''Do you think it was Amy?''

''Maybe, but I'm not sure. I don't even know if she was still mad at him or what.''

''Why would she still be mad after a few years?'' Knuckles asked.

''It's Amy.'' Tails said.

''Yeah, but it's also Sonic. I never thought she'd even stay mad this long; I doubt she doesn't have anything to do with this.'' Knuckles said, surprisingly helpful.

''You have a good point, but she did move out over it. I mean, wouldn't she just move back in if she forgave him?''

''Well it's hard to forgive someone who breaks your heart so much,'' Rouge began, eyeing Knuckles shortly, who grinned apologetically, ''especially if they haven't even talked since then.''

''Maybe they had an affair and got over it.'' Knuckles suggested jokingly, causing all three to stifle a few laughs.

''Amy wouldn't take her shirt off if the sexiest guy in the world came onto her with a heater in August.'' Rouge said.

''Plus Sonic probably doesn't even know how to fuck a girl, much less a virgin.'' Knuckles teased. Tails rolled his eyes as the two others fell into another wave of laughter.

''Okay, so basically we have no idea what happened until Sonic wakes up.'' Tails summarized.

''And boy does he have some explaining to do.'' Rouge added.

Amy's POV

I could only catch quick flashed of what was going on. And it was getting tiresome very fast. Panicking in my head, I formalized a piko piko and knocked myself out of the haziness, a trick I'd only used a very few times. My eyes shot open and I immediately took in the surroundings. It was a dark room, and it looked like some sort of dungeon or something. I couldn't see very far away from the stretch of light from the singular light bulb flickering dimly over my head. I sat up on the cold cement and saw another spot of light in the distance, under which I saw Shadow, engaged in a conversation with someone too hidden in the dark to identify, though I already knew who it was.

''Doesn't this seem a little old now, Egg head?'' I called, not wanting to waste time to think of a real plan.

''She's awake! Get her in the cell!'' Eggman shouted to Shadow, who appeared at my side at lightening speed. I kicked him hard in the shin, causing him to stumble back and almost fall.

He immediately reacted with another cloth, like the one he had used to drug me earlier. But I was ready this time, holding my breath as he forced it against my face. I fell limp, feeling a little hazy from the smell in my nose anyway. He caught me, holding the cloth there even as he lifted me and began to glide across the room. The second he stopped, I pulled out my hammer and knocked him away from me, falling on the hard floor but jumping right back up.

I ran across the darkness to where Eggman had been. Wrapping one arm around his neck, I poised my hammer in a way that showed I was fully capable of attacking him. ''One step and I'll do it.'' I threatened, seeing Shadow regain his footing and glare in my direction.

He suddenly disappeared, but at the same time I felt a suffocating grip crushing my ribs from behind. Another hand wrapped around my wrist so tightly that I heard a bone snap, instantly making my hand release the hammer and causing it to crash to the floor.

''So will I,'' he hissed into my ear, ''but I'll give you one phone call. Anyone you want, one minute to talk, tell me when you're ready.'' and I was suddenly appearing in the cell, being dropped to the floor harshly. I tried to stand back up and re-call my hammer, but my whole body just collapsed at the effort. My sides were burning with pain and I couldn't even feel my hand anymore!

''Damn it, Shadow! I told you I didn't know anything!'' I screamed the words with as much venom as I could fit into my choked voice.

''But you will. When your life and Sonic's depends on it, I'm sure you'll think differently.'' Shadow's voice was always so calm, but it only made him that much more threatening.

Shadow had said one phone call. Where could I tell them I was though? It was too dark to see; I'd have to rely on my other senses now. I swallowed some of the air, which felt stale and wet; probably mildewed. As for the smell, behind the moldy smell that is, I knew it but couldn't quite name it. I thought for a moment, training my thoughts to filter out the mildew smell completely and finally got it! It was the smell of paints and canvas! I hadn't done anything artsy in so long I had almost forgotten, but it was hard not to remember the distinct smell of a new canvas or stiff plastic aroma of the paints. Even little hints of graphite or charcoal pencils now came into the mix!

It had to be an art museum or something! An old abandoned one, because of the mold. How long had I been knocked out? Was it too late at night to call? Would Sonic be asleep or too tired not to get it? Did anyone...even notice I was gone?

It was already apparent that I would use my one phone call for Sonic, but what should I say? ''Sorry about yelling at you for something you didn't do; come save me from Shadow and Eggman now please!'' I know he wouldn't still be mad at me and that he would come and save me, but...how?

My heart jumped as I thought of a new dilemma: they WANTED me to call Sonic! Shadow had said my life AND Sonic's would depend on me remembering, but what if I couldn't? Why risk his life too? I would end up dead either way, but I couldn't drag him into it too! I hadn't realized I was shaking at first, but quickly stopped the involuntary movement once I did. I couldn't let Sonic get hurt trying to save me when I already recognizes my fate was inevitable.

General POV

Sonic had finally woken up, coming out to see the other three watching some news reel, or at least sitting in front of the TV with it playing.

''What happened?'' he asked, clutching the throbbing knot on his forehead.

The others turned to him, ''you tell us.''

''Why were you in my house?''

''Was Amy the one you ran into?''

''Dude, how can you take a bomb but not a frying pan?''

Sonic retreated slightly from the barrage of question when suddenly he remembered. ''Holy shit! Amy!'' he tried to make a run for the door, but Knuckles grabbed the speedster in the nick of time. He held his arms behind his back in a full nelson, keeping him from either running or punching.

''Chill dude! You gotta sit down and explain what's going on before you're going anywhere.'' the echidna said.

''Grr! Knuckles, this is serious! I've got to go NOW!''

''Where?'' Tails demanded, causing Sonic to quit struggling.

''I don't know.'' he admitted.

''Well we can help you find out!'' Tails said, ''You just have to tell us everything first.''

Sonic sighed, ''okay. It started about a week ago, when I saw Shadow following Amy,'' he launched into his story, having been let down by Knuckles who continued to guard the door.

''Why didn't you ever tell us?'' Tails asked in shock as Sonic finished.

''It all just started recently, and I didn't want to say anything until I knew what was going on!'' Sonic defended.

Just then, Tails's phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and checked the caller ID, which said it was a private number. ''Hello?'' he asked, cautious of crank callers.

''Tails! It's Amy! How fast can you connect me to Sonic? I don't have his number and this is an emergency!''

''About a millisecond; he's standing next to me right now.'' the two-tailed fox said.

''Tails, you rock!'' Amy said, but her voice was dry and drained of its natural pep.

Tails handed the phone off to Sonic, mouthing 'it's Amy' as he did. ''Amy? Where are you? Was it Shadow? Are you okay?'' the infuriated hedgehog asked frantically.

''Chill Sonic!'' Amy began, trying her hardest to sound okay, but showing traces of worry. ''I'm fine.'' it was the only question she answered; not a reassuring sign.

''Can you give me anything to work with Ames? I swear, I'll kick Shadow's ass so bad for this!'' Sonic was mad as a hornet now.

''No! You...can't.'' Amy replied, trying to stay calm. ''You can't come and save me this time.''

''Of course I can! We can...we can find you, Ames. It'll be okay.'' he said, trying to calm himself as well.

''No, you don't get it, Sonic. I don't...want you to.''

''You've lost it, haven't you? Did he make you say that? Tell me Amy! I need to-''

''No you don't! You don't need to do anything! Forget about it and forget about me and tell the others to do the same. Shadow didn't make me say that; I swear that was all me! Just...don't come for me. I don't want you to! Please?'' her voice was hushed and scared, but every bit of it was serious.

''No. I can't...I can't just leave you Amy. Not again.''

''But you have to. I'm sorry, Sonic, but...Just...don't worry about me.''

''Amy, I can't...I WON'T-''

Amy gasped lightly, ''goodbye, Sonic.'' she said suddenly and the line went dead.

**A/N: CLIFF HANGER! So you better review this time! I only got one review on the last chapter, but I've been really pumped about this story and I'm in a writey mood, so I thought I'd update. Yay for random mid-day updates! (Oh, plus my sister's at the orthodontist, so I figured now's as good a time as any so I can actually have the computer.) This is probably the climax and I REALLY want to update soon, but I need reviews first! I'll do my part if you do yours!**

**Just two reviews for next chapter; you guys can do that! But the question is, how fast? I'll type it up on my phone and if I see two reviews, I'll update next time I get the chance; if I see three, though, it'll be here by tomorrow night at the latest! (And that's with today going through my ENTIRE room to do a mega-clean, same thing tomorrow only at my grandparents', AND my last private trumpet lesson of the year!) So I am working hard for you guys; give me sumptin back! Loz; I hope you will all review and thanks for reading! (Btw, next chapter in Amy's POV; I got off with this one.)**


	14. Pain

**Chapter 14-Pain**

The words were harder to say than I had thought...and I already knew they'd be pretty hard. But Sonic would be safe, or at least as safe as he _could_ be, and I would be...who knows? Did it even matter at this point? Did I even…want to live?

Shadow stared in shock as I spoke into the phone. ''Don't come.'' I could tell if he hadn't been fighting disbelief, he would have come in right then and there and give Sonic a very good reason to show up anyway. I kept my eyes fixed on him, though. Not in a glare or sad gaze; I made sure to show no emotion whatsoever.

''Why would you say that?'' he asked, showing a little more rage than his usual unwavering voice.

''I don't want Sonic;'' I began in a full monotone. It was somehow easy to lie to Shadow, even looking him dead in the eye, ''I want to stay here without him. Forever.'' the words stung, making my heart ache as I said them.

''Bu-but...I thought you...''

''I don't want Sonic to come and save me.'' even that was a lie.

Eggman had left a while back, so I was trapped in the dark little room that they called my ''cell''. It made sense, after all, since Shadow explained I would remain captive until I decided to cooperate. I wanted to; I desperately did! I even tried reasoning with him; I knew how it felt to not remember anything and how much it hurt. I said I wanted to help, but I didn't know how.

''You know damn well how to help! And you're not gonna sweet talk your way out of here. Not now or any time soon.'' he said, glaring through the doors.

So I tried. I focused as much as I could, trying to call forth a memory that wasn't even mine. But how could I do that? I knew no more than Shadow did about himself; he was designed to be the ultimate life-form by Doctor Robotnic, not Eggman, though; it was about 50 years ago and in outer space. I knew one other name, Maria, and from what I had gathered, she was his only friend. But that was it! What was I supposed to do about it? I couldn't exactly go into some sort of spirit world or whatever and ask for it! And I didn't know how it worked anyway! I couldn't say, ''excuse me strange, stupid power thing? Could you please connect me with the final memory of Maria Robotnic?''

It always came in my sleep, anyway, but I couldn't just take a little nap and expect it all to be over! Sleep was probably my last possibility right now, right past learning to fly straight through the roof to get out of here. I tried meditating, focusing on Shadow and Maria and everything I knew about them, trying to find thoughts I hadn't had before, but that wasn't exactly a common skill for anyone! Not even me.

It had been at least two days trapped in that cell with no sleep. My meditation continued, putting me in some sort of half-sleep trance, though I could hear every impatient pacing step of Shadow gliding across the cold cement.

Without any warning, my mind was jerked from its waste-land of confusion and I felt my weak body bang against a wall. Shadow had left me food and water, I'd be no use if I was dead, but I hadn't eaten since I got there; I was too depressed. That plus the lack of sleep made me so weak and vulnerable that my only attempt at getting away was really very pathetic, so all I could do was whimper slightly at the spikes of pain that shot through my entire body.

''I'm loosing my patience, Rose. I've held out this long, but I don't intend to just sit around here until you decide to stop being so stubborn!'' Shadow yelled, gripping my shoulders and holding me against the icy cement wall.

''I...don't-'' my words came out in a weak choke.

''I can't wait forever, you know. I'm not even asking that much! Just tell me and you'll be free to go.''

''I want to, Shadow; I REALLY do! But...I really don't know how.''

''Well then you better figure out.'' at that he dropped me to the floor and took two steps back, holding his face in his hands and sighing deeply, ''I'll help in any way I can, but I have to know...and you're the only one who can tell me.''

''I can't control it,'' my voice fell to an involuntary whisper, ''I don't know how it works, but sometimes it's just there when I fall asleep.''

''So you have to be asleep?'' he wondered, obviously having calmed himself down.

I nodded and choked out my answer. ''I really want to help you, Shadow. I know what it's like to not even know yourself. I know how much it hurts. I promise that I'm doing everything I can, but I honestly don't know how.''

''I'll see what I can do.'' and with the next second, he had vanished in a silent glint of light.

Eggman returned with Shadow after a while. Neither said anything, but Eggman slipped a single glass, not much bigger than a shot glass actually, into my imprisonment chamber.

''It might help, but I can't say for certain in the least. You don't have to take it; the side-effects could be...dangerous. But there's a slight chance...'' he trailed off; I knew what he meant.

And it was with a shaking hand that I took the little glass, feeling almost warm against my frozen hands, as it had been so recently on the outside. I held it as tightly as I could, trying to soak up the tinge of something other than cold. Did I really want to do this? Was it worth the risk? I stopped my mind before I could reason with myself and slipped the poison down my throat.

My taste buds rebelled in the same sense as if I were to eat a persimmon or something, making a dry feeling overtake my mouth and take all the moisture to become a lump in the back of my throat. I was already shaking from the freezing room, but I shuddered even harder as the slime hit my stomach.

I put the full force of my mind to the thoughts I wanted to remain, even in death. I thought of Shadow and Maria on space Colony Arc, of the late Dr. Robotnic and his thirst for power, of Shadow now and his longing to know, and finally, I sent my final thoughts into what I hoped to be some telepathic field for any and all to have at hand. I, hopefully, sent my final apology to Sonic. I told him that, no matter how much I tried not to, or what all had happened, I loved him. I always had, and I always would. It was silly, to think my thoughts could somehow find there way to him, but that's all I really had to give.

The thoughts encircled me, spinning so fast it made me dizzy and gave me a head ache. But they didn't stop for anything; they all just got closer and closer until I was suffocated by them. With the lack of air, the already dark room seemed to get dimmer still...farther and farther...until it was gone. And that's when the dream came.

Space Colony Arc was very technologically advanced, given the time period and planet from which it was birthed. But that didn't matter; I had no power to look around for long. The only thing there in my sight was Shadow, staring longingly out over the Earth.

I watched as the scene rolled by, from Maria's comforting, sweet voice and into battle. Shadow wouldn't do it. He wouldn't be corrupted into Robotnic's evil ways on his own, but he would have to save Maria if only he had the chance. I knew that much just from watching.

''Looks like you'll just have to see Earth without me. Goodbye Shadow.'' Maria's voice was weak, and I could tell already she wouldn't make it long. But she pulled the lever, sending Shadow to Earth and his safety.

But that wasn't the end of it. My ''memory'' ran through what happened next, sparing me no details. I saw the guard barge in just as Maria pulled the lever, fully aware of her own death to come. He tried to warn her, but she didn't care. And he shot her. The man in the uniform with the gun who had gotten much more than he bargained for. And he cried.

The time-frame sped up in a way, playing by all the destruction without hardly any details, just a mass of death. And I felt it too. I saw all of the gun fires and heard all of the explosions and they seemed to be getting closer to me. But all I wanted to do was get back and tell Shadow what had happened. I couldn't; I was getting sucked into the chaos.

I felt something, someone maybe, grab me and I felt myself being pulled into the danger, but I couldn't see what was going on or hear what they were saying! So all I could do was resist and fight and try not to get taken away. I kicked a screamed and tried to figure out where I was, but I had no such luck. I had to tell Shadow! I knew he was there, but I couldn't get back…So I kept fighting, hoping for something.

"I can't go! You have to let me-" I cried, trying to find reality.

"Amy, please calm down!" It was Sonic's voice, though it sounded distant still.

I kept blinking very hard, trying to see something. "I-have-to…!" I didn't know what I had to do, but his wasn't it.

"I think she's having a panic attack or a seizure or something." Now it was Tails speaking; at least I could hear now, but the explosions around me kept coming, and I kept fighting.

"Ow! Amy, PLEASE be still!" I could feel now; Sonic's strong arms were around me, and he felt so warm.

"HIT ME! PLEASE?" I begged, hopping it would do something, but their voices just sounded confused. "I-can't-see! Hit me!"

"Amy, do you know what you're saying? Do you know who you're talking to?"

"YES! I know it's you, Sonic, and Tails. I…I can't-" I was breathing heavily, still fighting against the explosions around me.

"Hold on." Tails said, and I felt what seemed like an electric jolt shoot through my entire body, making me yell out, but it was instantly gone and my eyes shot open to see the inside of one of Tails's ships.

It was the X-Tornado and I was being held very tightly in Sonic's arms. I immediately stopped struggling, grabbing Sonic around his chest and holding him tightly. His grip loosened on me, as it was tight enough to keep me still, but I tightened mine so that he would do the same again. I was still cold and shaking and scared, but at least now I was in his arms.

**A/N: Short author's note here. Thanks for reviews! Three more for next chapter! More will be explained.**


	15. I'd Come for You

**Chapter 15-I'd Come for You**

I have to admit, I was in shock for a while after I hung up with Amy. The others kept prodding, trying to get the words out of me, but I honestly didn't know if I could speak at all. Finally, Tails replayed the conversation, since he had his phone set to record all conversations, and they understood my speechlessness.

''You know you can't go after her.'' Knuckles said, just as I was thinking about how to find her.

I turned and was about to punch him when Rouge spoke up, ''I agree with Knuckles; Amy wouldn't tell you not to come unless it was absolutely forbidden.''

''But that doesn't make any sense! I know it's Shadow who's got her and he wanted both of us, so she-''

''She knows that if you come then you'll both be trapped. She knows that it's a trap and she was trying to warn you, Sonic!'' Tails said, surprising me by taking the side against me, ''it'd be safer for both of you if you just-''

''Just what, Tails? Sit around and do nothing? Well I've done that before and I know how it feels; I can't loose her again!'' I didn't like yelling at Tails and seldom did, but I couldn't just let her go. Not again.

''Sonic, he won't hurt her; what good will it have been to kidnap her if she was dead?'' Knuckles words made me cringe, but he was right.

''I know but...what if...what if I never see her again?''

''Wasn't that your whole life's plan just about a week ago?'' Rouge interjected, forcing a glare to be set on her.

''But...that's over now! I _need_ Amy...I love her.'' and before any of them could respond, I took off running.

But where would I go? I scoured the town, trying to find any clues. Just a minute later, my watch buzzed with a video chat from Tails. I barely slowed at all to reluctantly accept the chat.

''Sonic, we don't want to leave her either!''

''Not now, Tails.'' I was about to cut him off, but my finger stopped a centimeter from the button.

''Just hear me out! We want to help you find her! Just come back to my workshop; we'll work out a strategy and then we can all go to rescue her; it'll be safer for all of us, including Amy.''

I skidded to a halt in front of some random market in the next town over. Tails was right, as always. ''Okay. I'll be there in a sonic-second.'' I said, taking off back towards Station Square.

As it turned out, our strategizing took a horribly long three days. It wasn't until Thursday that Tails announced he had tracked a general location as to where the call came from. He needed to request clearance from several different levels of the CIA just to trace the call. Even then, we didn't know the exact location; just the general area, somewhere up north of us a little.

I spent the time thinking. There were so many things I'd never really had enough time to think about, so it was kind of like catching my mind up with the rest of me. It was strange, really, how easy it was to just think, and that I'd never even tried to before now. But it was painful, just waiting while Amy could have already been moved since her phone call or hurt or...that was one thing I tried NOT to think about.

But it was that day that I started getting a little stir crazy. There was some feeling in the back of my head telling me we really had to get this show on the road. I tried to shake it by taking a long run, but it wouldn't go away. It was late afternoon when I finally got back and decided to try to sleep it off if I couldn't out-run it. No more than a few minutes into my nap did I hear Amy voice in my head.

''I'm sorry for everything. I love you, Sonic. I always have and I always will. Goodbye.'' and just like that, her voice was gone; nothing but an echoing through my head.

''Amy!'' I yelled, sitting up so quickly I nearly fell off the roof. I jumped down into the window where Tails was punching in codes to try to hack through the privacy block the phone number had on it. ''TAILS! We have to get Amy right now!'' I yelled, breaking the fox from his computer-bound trance.

''What? Why, Sonic?''

''Something's wrong; I just know it! We have to go NOW! I'll get Knuckles and Rouge if you get the X-Tornado ready.'' I said, giving him not another second to reject before I took off.

I opened a video chat with Knuckles, who luckily happened to be with Rouge at the moment. I used my one chaos emerald to teleport to them immediately.

''Come on! We're gonna get Amy back!'' I said, appearing in the apartment in front of the two, who were ''talking'' on the couch.

''Now?'' Knuckled asked.

''No, tomorrow!'' I said sarcastically, grabbing both of them and teleporting the three of us back to Tails's shop, where his ship was already purring with life.

We took off and I was practically shaking with anticipation the whole way. I ended up jumping out to run along side the ship within the first five minutes. At least it seemed to go by faster that way. The sun was beginning to descend slowly when Tails landed. We were in a deserted town out in one of the northern California deserts. We all split up, just taking quick and quiet glances through windows, looking for any sign of someone having been there. After only a few minutes, Tails silently signaled us all. He'd found her.

We were all swift and silent going over to the huge old building. The concrete walls were probably at least four feet thick and all the windows had been covered with steal. The only tell that it had been inhabited any time within the last decade were the scorch marks on the wall, two foot prints showing the design of rockets, and a sand blown path leading away from it, all of which were fresh against the titanium door.

The sun was setting by now, leaving the world in a dim lighting, but that didn't matter. We'd found the place we were looking for. Everyone listened closely to the device Tails had pressed against the door and finally heard our cue. At first it was just the slight scuffling of shoes, a few mumbled words, and then...a scream. Amy's scream.

Without further instruction, I stepped back and spun at the door, slicing it enough for Knuckles to punch the rest of the way in. Immediately, Eggman's shocked face turned to us and the dim room grew to a obtrusive brightness. Shadow had been standing across the room, turned towards a barred door, but ran in a flash over to us the moment he comprehended what was going on.

He made a quick grab for me, but I dodged even quicker. Just as planned, Knuckles grabbed him and held him still while Tails injected him with a specially made drug he'd invented to, not kill or even knock out, but weaken the opponent. It would make his chaos control powerless, unless he happened to have more than one emerald, which was impossible since we were in possession of the other six, slow his speed to just above average rather than so close to equal with me, and make his strength weaken slightly to about equal to myself, just below Knuckles's.

With our momentary pride, we all let our guards down a little, giving Shadow the clearance to throw a punch in the stomach at Knuckles and another towards me, which I caught and stopped before his fist made contact with my face. I threw my foot behind his knee and he crumpled to the ground. Rouge held him there with Knuckles spotting her.

Meanwhile, I held Eggman still while Tails injected him too, only with a different drug that would just make him too tired and scatter-brained to do anything. That one would wear off within twenty minutes or so, but still plenty of time for us to get out of here. I zoomed to the door where Shadow had been standing when I walked in and saw her.

Amy was huddled in a corner of the little cell, her eyes closed and her skin very pale. Just the sight made me want to go over and hit Shadow so hard...with the dark rings around her eyes, I would have thought she was dead at first glance had her whole body not been shaking so violently. She looked weak and even thinner than normal; delicate.

I immediately wrenched the door opened with my Sonic spin, but Amy didn't seem to notice. She jerked a little and her mouth was moving, as if she was trying to say something but no words came out.

"Amy?" she didn't respond. "Hold on, Amy; I'll get you out of here."

I slid one hand around her waist, but she jerked away, as if afraid of me. I pulled her closer, whispering to her that it was okay, but she kept pulling away. Her eyes were still closed and I thought she was passed out, except she had started screaming.

"No! You can't take me!"

"Amy, it's me! It's okay."

She kept yelling and Tails came over immediately. "I think there's something wrong with her. Get her out to the ship and I'll figure out what's going on."

I nodded, lifting her up and following the others swiftly out and over to the ship. Amy kept struggling and trying to get away, so I tightened my grip so she wouldn't cause me to drop her.

"I can't go! You have to let me-" she cried out as we reached the ship and I saw Shadow heading after us.

"Go!" I told Tails as I hopped into one of the back seats, "Amy, please calm down!"

She kept struggling, "I have to…" she broke off, her body still twitching between swings she took at me.

"I think she's having a panic attack or a seizure or something." Tails said, giving Rouge the controls to slide back with me.

Her fist suddenly broke free of my grip, punching me in the face. "Ow! Amy, PLEASE be still!" I begged, holding her arms and legs tightly to her sides, even though she kept fighting.

"HIT ME! PLEASE?" Her request surprised me; it sounded more focused than her previous shouts, making me think she was somewhat conscious now. "I-can't-see! Hit me!"

"Amy, do you know what you're saying? Do you know who you're talking to?" I asked, trying to calm her still.

"YES! I know it's you, Sonic, and Tails. I…I can't-" she kept shaking and resisting, her breaths now coming in heaves.

"Hold on," Tails said, quickly pulling another needle from a compartment up front and sticking it into her arm.

She jolted again as he did and I winced at the sight, but then her eyes shot open, all at once, and just like that, she stopped struggling. I loosened my strangling grip once I saw that she was done fighting and she turned and wrapped her arms around me so tightly that I tightened it back again almost instantly. Tails moved back up so that he was in the driver's seat, Rouge and Knuckles were in the second row, and Amy and I were huddled in on of the two back seats.

I thought she would cry; I was almost crying for goodness sakes! But instead she just sat there silently with her arms around me, still shaking uncontrollably. She was so strong, even after everything, and I never wanted to let her go! So I didn't; not for the entire flight home, or when Tails landed, or even when we had to go inside to make sure she was okay. She started to let go when Tails said so, but I held her tightly and just carried her in.

I had missed her ten-a-day hugs for two years now, anywhere from a death squeeze to a quick arm-lock, and I intended to make up for it now. About twenty a day for two years or so might do, but only time could tell. There were a lot of things like that when I stopped to think about it; another thing I intended to do from now on. I had learned from my mistakes and didn't plan on any repeats any time soon.

**A/N: I love this ending! It's so sweet and Sonamy filled, but at the same time sad; like a lullaby. This isn't the end of the story, just so you guys know; I'll be updating as soon as I get the chance, but I'm afraid to say that chance might not come around till next week. On the bright side, though, next week is the beginning of winter break! I've got a dress rehearsal tomorrow, a friend's b-day on Friday, and my actual concert for orchestra Saturday, but after that I should be home-free!**

**Thanks for my great reviews, and I know exactly how you guys feel! Even as the writer, I have to deal with all the suspense in knowing how the next chapter turns out. I feel like it can't be real until I write it, so I can still relate with you guys; all of your reviews made me say "I know, right?" so you're not alone; lol! :) I'm gonna ask for three or four reviews on this chapter, but we'll se how that goes, and more would be so awesome I might force some midnight update before Monday or Tuesday!**

**Anyway, I hope my long ramble didn't take away the melancholy mood set; it's a nice sort of air for reviewing if your ask me. And if I did, just go back up and read that last paragraph again! :) Hope you liked it and I can't wait to see and tell what's next!**


	16. The Only Exception

**Chapter 16-The Only Exception **

The voices all seemed distant. It brought back memories from a LONG time ago; 13 years ago, when I was about four, hiding upstairs in my bedroom and pretending to be a spy to listen in on my parents. It made me smile, but I think I already was before. Wrapped in Sonics warm, protective arms all the way home, yes HOME, rather than where I had been living for the past few years, I don't think I could have not smiled. Everything would be okay now.

I'm sure they wanted answers, they may have been bombarding me with questions now but I wouldn't have noticed, and I was too tired to answer anyway. All I wanted to do for now was sleep. I rested on Sonic's chest until the plane touched down. I started to release my grip around him, but he merely held me closer and carried me inside, following Tails. My eyes stayed closed and my smile stayed present until I heard Ella's voice greet the others.

''Is that Amy?'' she gasped slightly.

I felt Sonic nod and thought I should probably ''wake-up'' about now. I pried my eyes apart and looked up into Ella's kind, knowing face.

''Amy, dear! I haven't seen you in years! How come choo never visit me?'' she asked excitedly.

''I'm sorry, Ella; things have just been...crazy.'' I tried my best to sound as excited as she was, but my throat was soar and it came out sounding like a small child trying to prove they weren't sick.

I squirmed out of Sonic's arms and reached up to hug her, a gesture I had really missed. Come to think of it, the only thing I'd gotten anywhere _close_ to a hug lately was one of the guys from Tails's shop trying to either mess up my hair, flirt, or grab something from my back pocket that I wouldn't say what it was. I'd have to make up for lost hugs after all that.

''So how have you been doing on your own?'' she asked as the hugs broke, ''just fine I'm sure. Such a good listener and hard worker...'' she thankfully answered for me.

Sonic cleared his throat, ''Amy, Tails wanted to do a quick check-up to make sure you were okay.''

''But I am okay!'' I tried, but my voice clearly gave me away.

''Right,'' he put in sarcastically.

''Amy, were you hurt? What happened?'' Ella immediately took on her protective side.

''I'm fine!'' my voice cracked on each word, so Sonic decided this was his cue to scoop me back up rather than just dragging me away. I sighed, ''I'll explain everything later, Ella. Promise!''

''You know how awful you sound?'' Sonic teased, but his eyes looked more hurt than mocking.

''Why won't you believe me? I'm okay!''

''I sure hope so, Ames.''

I grumbled through Tails's scan thingy; all I wanted to do right now was get some rest. After about 20 minutes of ''sit still, don't move''-ing, they let me out of his big hospital room to sit with the others while Tails calculated the results. Finally, he came out with a piece of paper; all he needed was a white coat and we'd have to call him ''doctor''.

''Well, seeing as how she looks, it's surprisingly minor injuries for everything.'' he said, making my mouth drop open.

''What do you mean, _injuries_? And how I look? I haven't exactly had a nice hot shower in a while, and-'' Sonic clapped a hand over my mouth, and I was tempted to bite him, had my throat not have been burning from my little rant.

Tails sighed and Knuckles scrutinized my face. ''You know you're covered in scratches and bruises, right?'' he sounded almost mocking.

Sonic removed his hand, but I didn't say anything for a moment. ''So?''

''ANYWAY!'' Tails said loudly to regain our focus, ''for one thing, probably the most serious, is you have a broken wrist.''

I looked down at both of my arms, for the first time noticing the right one was purplish and swollen; all I had noticed before was that it hurt a lot to move it. Tails handed me a sheet of paper and I cringed at the x-ray, where one bone was broken almost all the way through and the other had a crack going about half-way over. I tried to move my wrist, but found it incapable, only causing a searing pain at the effort.

''Don't do that!'' Tails practically yelled, ''I'll get it in a cast later, but for now you HAVE TO KEEP IT STILL!'' I nodded and he sighed. ''Anyway, she has a minor concussion, which should be okay in about 20 hours or so, but in the mean time, you just can't sleep-''

''Seriously? But I'm SOO tired!'' I said, annoyed.

''Well, we can let you rest, but someone would have to wake you up every hour or so; if you went into too deep a sleep, you could possibly go into a coma and...'' he didn't finish, so I just nodded; understanding.

''Anything else?'' Sonic asked for me.

''Nothing but a few bruises, like Knuckles said. They should heal in a few days or so, but you'll be pretty soar until then.'' I nodded, my throat too beaten to talk anymore. ''So do you want to go ahead and get that cast on, and we can let you rest or something?'' I nodded and reluctantly followed the fox back into the room of torture.

Admittedly, the cast did somehow help my wrist to feel a hundred times better. It took off the burning pressure that had been kept on it for a few days straight now, though I'm not sure how long.

''You should probably eat or something before you lay down.'' Tails suggested.

''Too tired, but I will first thing tomorrow.'' I promised, leaning on him so I didn't fall on the floor from the exhaustion hitting me harder and harder by the second.

He chuckled, ''okay, you can skip out for now, but only since its pretty late already.''

''Thank you, Tails.'' I said with a quiet yawn.

''Do you remember where your old room was here? It still has a bed and everything if you wanna...''

''Can I just collapse on the couch for tonight?'' I asked, my eyes drooping.

''Sure, that's totally fine. Actually, it might be easier as far as someone getting you up.''

''Okay, cool; thanks Tails.''

Knuckles appeared from around the corner at that moment and saved me from the burden of walking. I think I was already asleep by the time I was laying down there. The sleep came like a perpetual blink of dreamlessness. I didn't mind, in fact I was terribly grateful to escape all those horrible visions from my sleep. The only thing I minded was that it made my hour pass much too quickly and the next thing I knew was opening my eyes to Tails standing over me. He made me count forward and backward to and from 100 just to make sure I was fully awake before he let me lay back down, which took longer than I would've thought because of my grogginess.

Finally, I got another extended blink...and then there was Ella waking me up. At least she didn't make me count, just fill her in on everything she'd missed. I had really missed Ella, making me wish I had come back much sooner; it would've saved us all a lot of trouble. Or at least included her in one of my hang-out days if I had a half work day at the shop or something. Next was Knuckles and then Rouge, who were both spending the night in one of the dozens of guest rooms. How long had it taken them to kiss and make up? I had to wonder, since Rouge had been as mad at him as...well I was towards Sonic, but we made up first. Just not the kiss part...or...other activities along those lines.

I fell back asleep only seconds after Rouge finished making sure I was safely awake, but my mind seemed to stay wide awake while I slept. It kept drifting off, seeming to not slow the time for once as I slept. At first I just recapped the past few years; all of it's emptiness and temporary excitements that couldn't even compare to the fast few days. It was really very pathetic. But then I got into the recent play of events. I tried to remember what had happened when they rescued me from Shadow; it was only a few hours ago, but it felt like years had passed, erasing the play of events from my head.

I gathered up and remembered the dream of him and Maria, and that's when it hit me. How would I tell him? I had to let Shadow know somehow, but I couldn't just tell the others that. They surely wouldn't let me go, even with them! But, I had to tell him somehow.

I sat up with my eyes open, though not seeing anything in the extreme darkness. I hugged my knees to my chest, knowing now that sleep wouldn't be possible again for awhile. It was almost 2:00 in the morning; one of them would probably come in in just a few minutes to wake me up, but, of course, it wouldn't be necessary. I tried to think; what would I say to make them understand? It wasn't really a very reasonable request after everything that had happened. I sighed, wishing my head would stop spinning so I could think straight.

"Amy?" Sonic's voice whispered from behind the couch, but I didn't turn to see him.

"Hmmm?" my voice was a tired drawl, but at least it carried.

"Are you awake?"

"Yes, I am." I croaked and he hopped over the back of the couch to sit beside me.

"Everything okay?"

"Yes." It was a fairly easy lie and I was glad I had already gotten my eyes used to being opened, because I probably would have cried if I had to keep blinking away sleep.

"Wow, you made this job boring." I breathed a laugh, "Amy, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Did Shadow…do anything? Like…to make you think…I don't know; it was stupid."

"No it's not; I get it." I said, "To make me think I wouldn't make it out. Not necessarily, but…"

"What happened?"

"Well, he said I wouldn't be leaving until I could tell him what he wanted to know…about Maria. It took a few days, but when I explained, he…kind of got it…about my visions and stuff. So…Eggman made this formula stuff and he said it might help, but that it could have some really bad…side affects. He said I didn't have to try it, but I did, and…I don't know. I guess I didn't really think I'd ever wake up."

"And you still took it?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because…I wanted to try, and…I felt like I had nothing to loose. I really don't want you to feel obligated to always protect me, Sonic. I want you to have your own life and I don't want to get in the way of that." I couldn't bring myself to make eye contact.

"Well my own life isn't really all its cracked up to be, as I've found out lately. I don't want to protect you, Amy; I _need_ to. I don't feel obligated, but I feel compelled to be there when you want or need me."

"You don't…"

"But I do. I really want to be with you Amy. I _need _to, and I need you to know that."

"I…"

"I heard you, Amy. I heard you when you took the formula; I heard you were scarred and-"

"That I was sorry…" I continued.

"And you'd miss me…" he went on.

I finished, "and that, no matter how hard I try…I'll…always love you," I whispered, almost hoping he wouldn't hear. Just almost.

He put a finger under my chin and turned my eyes to his, "And I'll never take that for granted again." He promised, leaning forward just two inches until our lips met. It was warm and I felt an explosion of sparks go shooting through my whole body, during and even lingering after the kiss, "because I'll always love you too."

**A/N: OMG I LOVE this! This chapter went a whole different way I thought it would at first, but its okay, because I just couldn't wait any longer to do Sonamy! :D It's about time too, huh guys? Anyway, thanks for all your feedback and I can't wait for some more! Three reviews and you've all got yourselves another chapter, so let's see em! Sorry this update took so long, but like I said, things have gotten pretty crazy since the holiday season started, but I think all of my obligations, appointments, whatever are done for pretty much the whole year! So that's very nice, for me and for you guys! **

**Hope yall liked this chapter, but the only way for me to know for sure is via your reviews! This story will be wrapping up pretty soon, which is kind of a bummer, but I'm still pumped! Plus, I think I might put off the P&F story and do another Sonamy, just because I got a really cool idea recently. It'll probably be my first M rating, but no lemons or anything, so it should be just for safety. Anyway, review and/or PM me for whatever reasons you have, and I'll make sure to respond to any questions or comments if needed.**

**Wow, long A/N; sorry bout that, but whatevs. Review if ya want more! :D**


	17. 1, 2, 3, 4 I Love You

**Chapter 17-1, 2, 3, 4**

Something felt different. Like some curtain had been pulled back from in front of my heart and it took the chance to jump out of my chest. It was really a new thing to be putting myself out there to fall in love; I had always tried to never get too close to anyone when I was younger, afraid that one day I'd wake up and not be with them.

Things were different now already; with the dwindling attacks from Eggman and life becoming more and more relaxed, I knew it was okay. It was hard not to feel this right with Amy back in my arms, and the pull of my heart on my strings drew me to unfold the truth of her heart as well. We had both been hurt, mostly by each other, but now we could begin healing. Healing each other; together.

Some mysterious force, I believe it's called ''love'' had drawn me closer and closer until our lips finally met, igniting a pool of electricity to fill my body. It was short, because all the words had yet to have been said.

''I'll always love you too.'' I whispered as we parted shortly.

I could feel chills wrenching up my spine and it somehow wasn't the least bit surprising or unnatural when Amy practically jumped up and our lips came crashing together again. Our mouths molded to one another and I found myself holding her closer, impossibly closer, to me with every movement. I couldn't imagine this as our first kiss, or even, technically, our second, because it felt so right that all my memories of the world before, without scooping her lips into mine, seemed ridiculous and so far gone. I could just sit here and kiss her all night.

Luckily, I had promised Tails I'd do a ''double shift'' as far as getting her up every hour, so we had that whole amount of time without interruption. It was a good five minutes or so before either of us broke apart, gasping for the lost air.

She leaned her head against my chest, but her voice was so quiet I wouldn't have heard it if she weren't that close. ''You...you really mean what you said?''

''Of course, Amy!'' it shocked me that she could even _think_ I could say something like that dishonestly! ''I...I always really loved you chasing me and everything like that, but it was just so nice and fun I didn't want to change anything. I'm sorry I never told you, but I guess I just figured the day you quit would be when I confessed, but...I always loved you; the whole time, Amy!''

Her arms wrapped tightly around my chest and I pulled her into my lap. ''I wish I hadn't ever left. I'm sorry, Sonic.''

''Don't be,'' I kissed the top of her head, ''you're here now and you're never leaving and that's all that matters anymore.''

''But what if I...had to leave? Not forever, but...if I had something...some...complication?''

There was obviously something she wasn't telling me, ''Amy, what do you mean? What is it?''

''It's...'' she took a deep breath and pondered for a moment, ''Shadow said I wouldn't leave until I told him about Maria, right?''

''But that's over now! You're safe,'' I comforted, holding her against me.

''But...it's not over for Shadow; he still doesn't know what happened and-''

''Amy, you don't have to worry about it. He won't come after you again, and if he does he won't get you. You'll NEVER have to even see him again.''

''But Sonic, I...he needs to know-''

''But that's not your problem! Don't worry about it, Ames; you aren't obligated to anything about him.''  
>She laid her head against my chest and sighed. Her breath was warm and almost shaky against my skin, sending a tingling feeling over me, ''okay.''<p>

''You should get some sleep,'' I told her.

''Will you stay with me? You can set an alarm or something in about an hour''

''Of course,'' I said, scooting over a little to lie against one of the corners of the sofa.

I picked my legs up onto the couch and held her between them and my chest. She laid her head back against my shoulder and wrapped her arms around me, as I did her. After we had both gotten ourselves situated, we relaxed a little and I sighed deeply, comforted by her presence. Eventually, we both drifted off to sleep.

It had been three days since the big escape, a week since she had been captured by Shadow in the first place. Amy was begging for Tails to let her go back to work in his shop, but he was holding strong to his recommendation of staying home and resting.

''But I have been for like, forever now! You told me my vacation would end yesterday and I could come back to work today!'' she argued pointlessly.

''Yeah, but that was before all of this happened!'' Tails laughed, ''how are you even gonna handle the tools with your wrist broken?''

''I'll show you first hand if you won't let me go!'' she threatened. It was really funny to watch, seeing the old Amy I knew and loved.

''Look, Amy, you legally have time off for injury, plus about the other hundreds of vacation hours you've stacked up, so don't worry about going to-''

''Ugh! It's not the hours I'm worried about! Jake and Chase are both working this week and they'll blow the place up! Plus, I'm going crazy being stuck in the house all day!''

''Well you can go out and get some fresh air if you-''

''Fine! I'm going for a jog and I'll be back later! Call if you need me, but don't wait up!'' she said, storming out the side door from the garage.

Tails turned to me and I knew what he meant, ''okay, I'll go.''

I stayed behind her, out of site and keeping pace with her quick (well, for a normal speed person) jog. She went the whole 15 miles all the way out to her and Rouge's apartment, though Rouge had been over each morning to visit and bring Amy stuff she needed from home. She had the doorman give her a spare key and went around to the stairs. I smirked, using chaos control to go ahead and wait at her door.

''What are you doing here?'' she asked, getting off the stair case.

''Just making sure you don't get kidnapped again.''

She sighed, ''I'll let you in, but you're gonna be bored.'' she threatened.

''And why's that?'' I asked, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close against me.

She stood on her toes to quickly peck my lips, ''because I want to shower and pack a few things. If I'm stuck under constant care, I at least want to have something to wear other than sweats all day and night.'' she gestured to the outfit of loose knee-length pants and a tank top that had been virtually the same, other than color, every day since Rouge had been bringing her clothes.

''I'll allow that.'' I said, releasing her so she could unlock the door.

''Rouge's at work, so make yourself comfortable, do what you want, and excuse the mess.'' she said, kicking away an exploded pile of CD's in front of the door, ''I'll be about an hour, so...''

''Take your time; no worries.'' I said and she smiled before dancing down the hall.

I looked through the stacks of CD's for a while, impressed at the variation. They had a few classical, Frank Sinatra or orchestral symphonies, but most weren't even opened. Other than that, it went from pop or raps to rock and metal. Lady Gaga to Disturbed, Fort Minor, Michael Buble, Usher, Ke$ha, Nikkie Minaj, Linkin Park, Taio Cruz, everything you could imagine and then some. I selected one Skillet CD and put it into the enormous speaker system as Comatose echoed with surround sound, filling the apartment with the excellent reverberating quality. I skipped through several CD's, previewing them shortly, when Amy stepped down the hall, looking somehow brighter than before. I turned down the blaring Nickleback and smiled; she was now in a pair of white jean shorts and a dark patterned dress shirt that outlined her gorgeous frame perfectly. Her hair, still wet, was pulled back behind a dark purple headband and she had a red bag swung across her shoulders.

''_Now_ I'm ready to be incarcerated.'' she said with a joking smile that was so gorgeous I found it hard not to kiss her.

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry this update took so long, but I've been ridiculously busy! Lolz, sorry, stupid excuse. Well, here I am now :) hope you guys liked this chapter, thanks for all my last reviews, and I hope to see more on this chapter! :D Oh, and I wanted to give you an introduction to my next story, which I might end up posting before this story is completely over, so you guys can help me think of a name, because that's where I always fall short in my writings. So here's the full summary:**

_**Amy's been living with her Dad all her life (she has no idea who her mother even was or what happened to her) and he's not exactly fit to take care of a child. He's with a different woman every week pretty much and Amy's always been exposed to…inappropriate activities between them all. They're always moving around and Amy's never lived life as a normal kid, having to find ways to stay out of the house most of the time so her dad can forget she even exists as often as possible.**_

_**She's never had any friends, since all the kids whose mothers fall into the hands of her dad get nothing but a fair warning of what they've gotten themselves into. Affection is a sin and "I love you" are the worst swear words out there to her, but then she meets a little boy and decides its time her world has to change to one where it's okay to smile. After a while, she begins to see little specs of hope and happiness, but what happens when the sun comes out from behind the clouds all at once? When one of her father's new victims has a son who happens to capture her heart, even though she knows he's the enemy. Sonamy (of course)!**_

**Okay, long description there, but I really suck at shortening things, so there ya go! Any questions, ask via review (but you'll have to tell me your user-name) or PM me and I WILL answer them! Name suggestions aren't just welcomed, but NEEDED! I'll end up with some weird name that means nothing (Like "Steely Love" or "Bittersweet Sorrows") or something if you guys don't help me out! Shout-out to anyone who tries and virtual cookies if you can figure it out for me! :3 Stupid prize; I know, but I can't PM you a car or anything, so I'm doing my best here! I'm out-**

**Peace, Love, REVIEWS! :D**


	18. My Life Would Suck Without You

**Chapter 18-My Life Would Suck Without You**

I loved jogging. Everything about it; the constriction of my lungs as I pushed myself to go farther and faster every moment. I loved the strain in my leg muscles and the fresh air forcefully shoving in and out of my nose. And, most of all, I loved the freedom. No one could set your pace; that was all up to your feet, and it was just such a great feeling! Flying down the pavement, yielding to the others and weaving around all the city blocks. That was one way, though not to his extreme, I'm sure I could relate to Sonic.  
>We were finding so many things in common now and my only regret was not being there with him all along. I couldn't imagine if things didn't work out now; I would probably be so empty I'd just shrivel up and die! But everything right now felt so...right...like it couldn't not work out at this point.<p>

Somehow, it wasn't surprising when I found him leaning on the apartment door. I just smiled and gave him a fair warning of his boredom to come. It was nice to have a shower in my own house again, mainly just since I had my own toiletries here, and being able to put on some real clothes. Afterwards, I packed up a few things Rouge hadn't brought that I'd missed and went back out. To my relief, Sonic had been playing music the whole time, since I was accustomed to the blaring of some CD whenever I did pretty much anything.

I stepped out and he turned down the Nickleback CD and smiled.

''Now I'm ready to be incarcerated.'' I said and took a few steps closer.

''I forgot how good you look in anything other than sweats.'' he held me closer in a way I had now grown accustomed to loving so much, ''and you even look good in those.'' his voice was a low whisper in my ear, sending chills up my spine.

My smile widened and he lifted the bag off my shoulders, setting it aside next to the sofa.

''You said you dance, right?'' he asked, loosening his grip as I nodded, smiling as I caught onto his idea.

I slipped out of his arm to grab the stereo remote from the top of the sofa and skipped ahead two songs, as I knew the CD just that well, to 'Far Away'. I turned it up as the acoustic guitar sounds filled the room. Sonic held out his hand and I took it, spinning gracefully into his arms. We both smiled and began gently rocking side-to-side. And we slow danced to Nickleback.

The waist-band of my dress-like shirt was all the way up, just below my chest. When I moved away to do a quick spin, it feathered into the air and rising in a bell shape and drifting gently back against my skin. Sonic took my hand and spun me under his arm twice before doing a very low dip, just as the song ended, fading out slowly. We held the position, each of us taking a long, deep breath.

''I love you.'' he said quietly.

''Then hold onto me and never let me go.'' I quoted the song, looking up into his emerald green eyes.

''I will,'' he promised, pulling me up slightly so our lips could meet.

A few times at the club, I'd get stuck in some slow-dance with some stranger hoping to get a little more than a dance. Of course he always ended up with a broken foot, but for the actual _dance_ part, it hadn't ever been too much different from the one Sonic and I had just shared. They had spun me and held me close and dipped me just the same, but to me it couldn't have been _more_ different! And it's only because with Sonic, I was comfortable. I relaxed when he dipped me and I moved with passion when I spun and when he held me close, I leaned in even closer.

I thought about all of this while he kissed me and almost forgot to kiss back.

''You okay, baby?'' he asked, standing me back up.

I blinked my eyes open and nodded, ''yeah just...I never thought...'' I shook my head and laughed.

''What?''

I stifled a few last giggles and then stretched up on my toes to kiss him lightly, ''I never thought I'd ever be so in love. Especially after everything that's happened; I thought it would be so hard to move on but, with you…it's not.'' I breathed another laugh through my nose; it was just so silly.

Sonic looked at me oddly for a moment and I shrugged slightly. Then he laughed and pulled me against him in a tight hug. I breathed in through my nose, smelling the clean scent of his light grey shirt with his sweet musky smell underneath. When had he gotten so tall, anyway? I hadn't even noticed, but, though I too had grown to about Rouge's height, he was a full head taller than me now.

''When did you get so tall?'' I asked, looking up to his face.

''How did you get so short?''

''I didn't! I've grown six inches since-''

''Ba-hahaha!'' he cut me off, bursting into laughter, ''six inches? I grew about a foot and a half!'' he laughed and I did my best fake-scowl.

''Well fine! I guess tall guys are okay, but that makes it harder to kiss you.'' I teased.

''Not if the short girl is so tiny she could just hang around my shoulders.''

''Fine,'' I said, wrapping my arms around him and lifting my feet off the floor. To my surprise-and slight dismay-he didn't flinch or move a muscle, like I weighed the same as a small necklace. He wrapped his hands around my waist and held me up against him so that our faces were level.

''See, that works.'' he smirked.

I stuck my tongue out, but he turned the childish gesture into a passionate kiss in a matter of seconds. Eventually he moved us to the couch, where he sat first and I moved on top of him, our lips locked the whole time. I felt his tongue exploring my mouth and I copied the move. I like his taste, not quite a minty-fresh, just brushed your teeth kind that my mouth always had, since I brushed my teeth usually four to six times a day, but not the stale taste of morning or forgotten food. It was a nice change I was hoping to get used to without further delay.

One of my hands fingered the quills behind his head, familiarizing myself with his style before messing it up too badly. The other hand, however, was occupied tracing his muscular shoulders and down his back. He held both hands behind my back, gliding gently up and down.

After a good few minutes, I felt and heard his wrist communicator buzz. We slowly withdrew our tongues back to our own mouths and I kissed his cheek once on my way away.

''Hey, what's up?'' Sonic asked, answering the video request.

''Just checking in; are you with Amy?'' I heard Tails's voice ask.

''Yeah, she's fine. I didn't let her hurt her hand any worse; no worries bro.'' he said.

''Okay; just make sure Shadow's not around, ya know?'' Sonic flinched slightly and a ping went off in my mind as I remembered Shadow.

''I know. I'll call you if anything happens.''

''Okay, see ya later.''

Sonic hung up and I jumped on the subject immediately. ''Where is Shadow? Was he still out there?''

''Chill Ames; you're safe with me.''

''But that's not what I asked; he's still looking for me, isn't he?''

Sonic sighed, ''Not for sure, but it's always possible. Either way, you're safe; it's all over okay?''

''No, it's not! It's not over for Shadow; he still doesn't know what happened to Maria!''

''Amy, I told you, that's not your prob-''

''But I know, Sonic! I know that Maria was shot because she was trying to help him escape! And that she sent two pods to confuse the guards and that he used chaos control to get away before it exploded! I...I know about what happened and that he doesn't and...and I know how he feels. I know what it's like to not remember your own life.'' I said, biting my lip and forcing back tears that had been building for years now.

''You...you really knew.'' he said, taken aback.

I nodded, my lip quivering, ''I saw it the day you came and got me. I was trying to think of a way I could tell him without any of your help but still being safe but...I can't. Not alone...but I still need to.''

He closed his eyes, holding his head in his hands like he had a headache coming on or something. ''I...I can't let you go.''

''But I have-''

''No! I can deliver a message or something for you, Amy, but...'' he shook his head, ''I just can't let you go.''

''Okay,'' I agreed, not wanting to push him in this obvious soft-spot.  
>''So what all happened exactly?''<p>

I launched into the story, exactly as I had seen it in my dream. After we had gone through it a few times, making sure he got it as well as I did, he decided to go.

''I'll be back in two hours, tops. Please be safe.'' he said, kissing my forehead.

''Promise.'' I said, feeling nervous but no longer worried. It was weird but...somehow...right.

I felt restless once he left; pacing back and forth for a good few minutes before deciding I couldn't wait here the whole time. Chris's house with the others would make me even more of a wreck, so I decided there was only one other place I could be without thinking about it the whole time. So I scribbled him a quick note and set off.

After calming down enough, I took my incredibly weird but effective route to Rouge's club. I walked strangely, but ignored all the laughs and points from the few people on the seldom populated back-roads who didn't already know who I was. I did leg lifts all the way up to vertical splits with every other step and danced down the street. That was as good a warm-up as anything, probably better, using the four blocks and ten minutes to my advantage to stretch on the way. I danced down the street in my strange little way all the way to the club.

''Mini-bitch! Where you been at? I'z thinkin you dun quit or somethin!'' the bouncer at the door said, who always used our mean nick-names, even though no one else really knew them, kind of like our stupid inside joke that gave him clearance to let me in.

''Yeah, cause I was so unhappy working here.'' I said sarcastically.

''What you do to your hand?''

''You don't miss a thing, do ya skank-breath?''

''Not on you, shawty.''

I pushed him slightly as I ducked around his blockade of the club. ''Well nunya, so there.'

''Snappy much?''

''Yeah. Oh! And if you see Sonic, let him in.''

''You mean, like, THE Sonic? Hero of Earth and whatever that planet you're from is called?''

''Mobius? Yeah, him. Don't forget, or you can consider yourself fired.'' I threatened, falling into the crowd so easily it was weird.

**A/N: No reviews? :( Hope you guys will do better this time! I really need feedback on that new story idea too, so go back and check that out (last chapter A/N) if you missed it. Can't post it if I don't get something! I'm honestly considering taking a break from writing and not doing any more stories here, but if I get some feedback on it I can still reconsider, so please try to help me out here. Anyway, happy New Year; hope it's your best year ever! Exactly 2012 words! :D **


	19. Fire

**Chapter 19-Fire **

I got out to the deserted town in no time without having to follow Tails and let myself in without hesitation. The room was dark and chilly, like it had been before, and for the most part empty. Eggman was absent from the building, just as I had figured, but I saw Shadow sitting across the room in the dim lighting. His legs were crossed and eyes were closed; I could tell he was meditating or in a trance of some sort.

I took a deep breath and stepped forward, hoping for a peaceful confrontation. ''Shadow,'' I addressed him.

His eyes opened and he looked up at me, but made no move to attack. ''Sonic,'' he said, acknowledging my prescience.

''Look, I don't want any trouble,''

''Neither do I.''

''Amy asked me to come.''

''Really? Why?''

''She knew what happened and wanted you to.''

''But...why would she-''

''Amy knows what it's like to not remember something about yourself. She didn't like it and she knows how you feel.'' Shadow's expression dropped; he looked...ashamed, ''her words; not mine.''

''She...why would?''

''It's okay,'' I said, ''I know what you mean; there are things I wouldn't expect her to ever forgive anyone for, but...she somehow always does.''

Shadow nodded and I proceeded on with the story just as Amy had told me.

''Sonic, I...I'm sorry,'' he began ''I didn't understand before; I let my frustration get out of hand and...I did some things I shouldn't have. I just wish...''

''You don't have to. It's okay; I'm just glad it's over. We can move on now, you know?''

''Hmm,'' he sighed, ''Thank you. And thank Amy for me too.''

I nodded and left. I had figured that, naturally, I'd be mad at Shadow, or him at me. I thought we'd end up fighting it out or something, but...it wasn't even my fight. It was Amy's, and she wanted anything _but_ trouble. It was inspiring, really, to think that she'd gone through everything she had and still just wanted to move on peacefully.

I smiled for the whole run back to her apartment and called Tails from outside.

''Hey Sonic! Everything okay with you guys?''

''Yeah, I just wanted to let you know that I went to see Shadow and-''

''Wait, you WHAT?''

''Chill, Tails! It's fine! It was just a short confrontations; Amy asked me to. She told me what had happened on Space Colony ARK and insisted we tell Shadow. I left her at the apartment for a while and I was just about to go back up. I just wanted to check in with you.''

Tails sighed, ''okay, I guess, but I wish you would've talked to me first. We could've at least had Knuckles go with you or something.''

''Well it was no big deal; Shadow wasn't a problem and I don't think he ever will be again now. Not for us anyway.''

''Alright, well I'm glad you worked it out. Any idea when you guys will be home?''

I shrugged, ''Not sure, but don't wait up. Amy's with me, remember?''

''Yeah, that's what I'm worried about!'' Tails joked and I rolled my eyes.

''Talk to ya later lil' bro.'' I said and we hung up.

I panicked at first when I didn't see her around inside, searching the whole apartment before I even noticed the little note propped up on the coffee table. I picked it up and immediately recognized Amy's wavy scrawl, graceful and jumbled at the same time somehow.

_Went to see Rouge at the club; you know where it is, right? Call me if you need to,_

_Love_ you 3

~Amy

It was short and sweet; so Amy. I set it down and smiled, heading off to meet her at the club. The sun was already setting-the day had gone by so fast-which meant it was probably around 7:30. I took in one last gulp of the night air, already beginning to chill with hints of the upcoming fall. It was easy to see the club, already booming with music and a short line of people, it was Monday, after all, lining up in front of a tall door guarding guy.

**General POV**** (Sorry I didn't mention something like that sooner, but whatever.)**

Amy got to the club before regular opening hours, using her employee key to get in through the seldom used back door. She met Rouge, cleaning up behind the bar as the DJ casually flirted with her.

"So you gonna get me a shot or-" he laughed, pointing towards one of the many spouts that would automatically produce the perfect amount of whichever beverage into the shot glasses.

"Look, Tanner," she said, obviously annoyed since Rouge hardly ever used peoples' real names, "I don't need you buzzin' before we even open tonight. Plus, I'm not hookin' with no one tonight; I've got…plans."

"With who? Last week you were on a roll and now you're even more covered than before!"

"I told you, I'm _with_ someone! Like, WITH with, not just hooking up every now and then!"

"You were more fun before you got religion, Rouge," he grumbled, stalking back to his usual spot to start mixing up some new tracks for the evening.

Rouge rolled her eyes and caught sight of Amy, smirking from the edge of the bar.

"Ame-z! How'd you escape the prison?" she asked and Amy slid over to the bar, climbing up the tall chair to sit atop the counter.

"I threatened to go to _actual_ work if Tails didn't let me go for the day."

"You know how reverse you are?"

"Very?" Amy guessed as Rouge nodded.

"Well you do look better. Not just since the other day, but…really you look better than you have in years."

"Wow, and to think I pulled this out of the drawer without looking!" Amy joked, gesturing to her outfit.

"You know what I mean," Rouge insisted and they both nodded.

Amy stayed and talked for a while, until the first round of slow songs ended, giving all the couples there for the evening the chance to come and sit at the bar. With the new crowd, Amy decided to leave Rouge to her job and take over the dance floor for a while.

Meanwhile, Sonic had just been called to the front of the line as the bouncer noticed him and informed all the complaining people in line that he had clearance from a highly regarded employee. He walked in just as the song Into the Night (by Carlos Santana and Chad Kroeger) began and Sonic skimmed the crowd for Amy.

It wasn't long before he spotted her, as she had effortlessly cleared a spot between the side and middle of the dance floor just by being the first to get up and move with the quickening pace of the music. He watched her sway and roll her body with the music for a while and then break into quick turns or wide gestures along with the chorus. He smiled, watching her roll her hips, moving her body so gracefully and at the same time…professionally? No, that wasn't it. Exuberance? Or maybe…really the only other way he could describe her was way too damn sexy!

He smiled at the thought, seeing all the other men watching her with mouths agape and knowing what they were thinking too well for comfort. But rather than raging or jealous, her felt…enticed. Knowing that Amy could have had any one of those guys, but she didn't. She had waited for him, and he trusted her for that, to never be lured away.

In his own vigorous attraction, he danced his way through the crowd, finding the rhythm and going with it willingly until they both came with view of one another. As Amy spotted him, she moved through the little barrier of people who had gathered to watch her famous influx of movement to the room, alluring Sonic in to dance with her.

"Follow me," she whispered, brushing against his ear and then beginning a repetitive back and forth flowing sort of movement.

Sonic caught on and copied the move so that they mirrored each other, exempting the occasional burst into their own move. Amy led them into several echoed moves until they both caught on and danced together without replica of one another's' leads. Nearing the end, they both smiled, telepathically deciding on their big finish.

Sonic did his multi-World famous Sonic Spin, breaking into a quick break-dance like pattern while Amy dipped her shoulders lower with each roll of her hips, reaching the floor just as Sonic stood back up. She took his hand with her good one and he gently but swiftly yanked her up into his awaiting arms as the last repetition of the chorus cut off. The final guitar solo screeched away as Sonic dipped Amy so low the her hair, as short as it was, nearly brushed against the floor.

They stared into each others eyes, too entranced to notice the cheers arising from the crowd that had now gathered around them. Amy, completely trusting his strong grasp to hold her up, lifted one leg straight up, using it to gently push his head down and closer to her. Close enough for their lips to meet, right there in the center of everyone's view.

As they got more into the kiss, Amy lowered her leg back to the floor, but soon had it, along with the other, wrapped around Sonic's waist, holding her against him as they continued their make-out in the middle of the dance floor. They broke away for only the millisecond it took Sonic to zoom to one of the empty bar-stools and get out of the way for a few irritated dancers trying to follow the next song.

Sonic sat facing away from the bar so that he could lean his back against it and not fall as Amy, facing him in his lap, sat pressed tightly against him. Rouge interrupted after a few minutes, gently smacking a dirty rag against Amy's elbow to get her attention.

"Hmmm?" she moaned, slowly and reluctantly pulling her mouth away.

"Sorry to interrupt, but the bathrooms are full of people puking and I wanted to make sure you weren't gonna swallow each other," the bat said sarcastically.

"Yeah, because we all know you and Knuckles are _so_ much better about PDA." Amy teased, causing Rouge's white cheeks to flush pink.

Sonic smiled and rolled his eyes, knowing the two weren't in any danger of a cat fight; it was just normal behavior for them.

"Anyway…" Rouge began, "I'm glad you showed up, Sonic. I was about to have to kick Amy out if she started getting into it any more."

"Oh like you would have!" Amy interjected, sticking her tongue out at Rouge.

"Anytime, Rouge. Distractions are my specialty," Sonic said, ignoring Amy's argument about how he 'must have about a billion other specialties, then'.

"Well can I get either of you anything?" she asked, looking down at the now pretty much empty row of bar stools, "Mrs. Inspirational-Dancey here chased all my costumers out to the floor."

"Oh you've gotta be kidding me! It's a _bad_ thing to dance now? And what up with the nickname?" Amy began and laughed, "plus, you _know_ Sonic's only I'm too young and Sonic's only two years older than me so-"

"Oh waa! It's not like I'd give you _each_ a beer or something."

"She probably would if we asked," Amy whispered and Sonic laughed.

"But seriously; you see what you're getting yourself into. Sure you wanna keep her around, Sonic?"

Sonic thought for a moment, causing Amy's mouth to drop in shock. He laughed and kissed her open-mouth, "You know I'm kidding, babe." He promised, "I don't think it's even up to me anymore, Rouge; I'm just stuck to her."

"I hear that," Rouge laughed, before having to run off to the lady who had just arrived at the bar.

"Wow, she's gone," Sonic said.

"About time; I thought she'd never leave."

Sonic laughed, "You know you about gave me a heart attack when I got back? I didn't see the note at first."

"I'm sowwy," Amy pouted.

"Well I found you didn't I?" he laughed again, "and my heart is perfectly intact."

Amy smiled, taking his hand that she had already been hold and placing it over her chest, "well mines racing, and it's not because of the dancing." She assured him as they both leaned in again, not caring about the world around them that now seemed so distant, and only about one another. Sitting there together in front of everyone, they couldn't have felt more singular. Two as one.

**A/N: omg OMG OH-EM-GEE! Lolz, sorry, I just LOVED the end of this chapter! So much, in fact, that this might be the end of the story. I really hate to say that, but the plot I had going is over and there's really nothing left unless I just wanted to do some detailed make-out scenes with a few progressions towards getting home and everything or an epilogue or…okay, I think I'll do one more chapter, kind of an epilogue (just because I LOVE ending here but I want to get just a **_**smidge**_** further) but only if I can get some reviews! Btw, thanks for all the feedback last time; it totally brightens my day to see your opinions!**

**As for my next story, I might have to put it on hold for a while. Basically because me and my sister's computer (which I'm surrently on) is running on, like absolute zero memory and I really need a laptop! My b-day's coming up next month and that's the top of my list, but it's really hard to write like this because 1) I have to delete every chapter before I can add a new one and 2) It's tricky to keep my writing private when I have to share the computer, which makes me totally nervous, so I just want to wait a while. **

**I'm trying to work on writing (by hand) several different novels right now, so I'm going to take a break from fanfiction and see what I can get done outside for a while, so sorry about that. I WILL, however, finish this story first (given I get some reviews on this chapter and it's not already "finished"). I really hope to get a few more fics out there, but that mostly depends on whether I can get my own computer or not, so wish me luck! (It'll be my Sweet Sixteen next month on the 7****th****! EEEEEP! XD) Hope you guys liked this one and that I'll see you VERY soon!**


	20. Chasing Cars

**Chapter 20-Chasing Cars**

**A quick note, for those of you who haven't noticed, all chapters have been named after fitting songs. Just thought I'd mention it since this is the last chapter, for one thing, and since this song is really amazing and very fitting to the chapter. Okay, just thought I'd let you know in case anyone wants to look it up; it's REALLY great! (By Snow Patrol, by the way.)**

Things were very…exciting for a few more weeks. I moved back into Chris's house with the others and Knuckles used that advance to move in with Rouge. Not that he needed the space from my room, but more that they both used the new privacy to their advantage. Sonic and I were together for pretty much the whole day everyday, which was nice because I'm sure we both wanted to make up for missed time over the past few years.

Rouge and Knuckles ended up tag-teaming us about the whole couple thing, teasing about how we couldn't be so in love without sleeping together. It was funny, though; rather than pressuring us into…it, Sonic and I turned it into a sort of game to annoy them. We would sleep with each other every night without actually _sleeping_ together and make out without making love. It drove them crazy.

Rouge would come over every morning and ask "Did you do it?" all excitedly, as if hoping she wouldn't be the only non-innocent one in the group anymore, I guessed.

I would always just smile and shake my head. Knuckles and Sonic had a similar routine, always ending up with the two of us laughing and the others just groaning. Meanwhile, Cream remained innocently unaware whenever fallen into one of those conversations while Tails made his best attempts at staying away from them all together.

There were times when none of us even seemed to talk as a group, but I still felt closer to them all that I had in…ever it seemed. That may have just been from the haze that had descended on my memories from back before I lost them, but I decided to remain pleasantly content with our closeness.

Once Tails took me off probation from working, I did start going back to his garage, though now not every single day. Sonic accompanied me, though I'm still not sure whether it was just to talk, flaunt that I was _his_ and none of the other guys' attempt to get me would work, or just because I "looked hot covered in grease". He just smirked when I asked him and shut me up with a kiss.

As for Rouge's club, I started back working on only the days I taught a class, but slowly started decreasing even those days. That just meant a more full class whenever I did come in, though. Sonic came there with me every other time, but still always tried to sneak in a dance, whether or not I disagreed, before we left.

Sonic had his own duties, of course, but none of which took up any of _my_ time with him. With Eggman gone now, having taken up a luxury retirement home at Prison Island, the big epic battles seemed all but over. Station Square and even surrounding towns were virtually peaceful, excusing the occasional uprising villain that never seemed to last long. Sonic, rather than going stir crazy like I would have formerly imagined, enjoyed the blissful changes and actually didn't hesitate to relax.

Things really did start to fall in place after awhile. Soon enough, life fell back into a regular pattern and the memories of before started to fade. Not too soon, though, since I was probably pretty eager to forget them anyways. I could honestly say, for probably the first time ever, that life was good.

Sonic's POV

With Amy back in my life now, everything seemed perfect. Time seemed to crawl by endlessly before, but now the world had picked back up on its rotation. I could move up and move on.

It seemed only natural to spend all of my free time with her, which was very abundant without Eggman around to steal it all. I wanted to make up for two years of isolation from her and, if I ever completed the former, the full time before that I had known and tried to avoid her.

We both started learning new things, from and about each other. I was just so happy now that it seemed like anything else didn't and _couldn't_ exist. Like my world without Amy hadn't been real and the former had been a pointless dream. Just an illusion to fill wasted time until you woke up to reality. We both knew it wasn't though, but didn't plan on going back into that paradox of dreams again. Ever.

Admittedly, I ignored the others a lot, mostly Knuckles and Rouge though, just since they often tried to tease. "You never showed interest before and now you two are joined at the hip!" Tails would laugh every day at how I couldn't spend a full hour away from her. Knuckles, though, would team up with Rouge in trying to taunt us out of innocence. Why they thought it would work _because_ of them, though, was beyond me.

Personally, I intended to never let Amy go again, and didn't see any point in rushing things. We had our whole lives to be together, after all, so why take one of the final steps now? I'll admit, just how generally hot she was made my hormones go crazy with want, but I had everything about her, she made clear, which was enough to satisfy the part of me that was still just an irresponsible teen. We could kiss and hug and hold each other and make-out, so, again, why rush things?

With her back with me at the Thorndike's house, repetition slowly reentered or temporarily hectic lives. Amy began going back to work, though not as consistently, and I followed to keep an eye on her. That, plus enjoy her general company, even if all I got to do was watch as she explained all the little things I'd never understand about cars or dynamic dance steps. Whether or not I understood, I still loved the opportunities to watch and talk to her.

General POV

Time passed. Hours turned into day which bowed to weeks. Weeks mad up months and those built into years! But, no matter how much time there was, things stayed generally the same, excusing several huge milestones along the way. After two years, as Sonic was 21 and one Amy's 20th birthday, Sonic proposed. Of course the elated hedgehog agreed and they were married a few months later, not until after which did they both give up the innocence they had been struggling to maintain.

Much to the joy of both the couple and Knuckles and Rouge, Amy found herself pregnant a few months later, thus proving that the two had actually "done it". They continued their lives together, raising a wonderful family and encountering little to no significant conflict along the way. There would be rough patches, loss and gains, hard and smooth, all of which bringing them impossibly closer together in the end.

With the past behind them, everyone was free to look on to the future, only growing brighter every day.

**A/N: AHA! How's that for an ending! :'D Much better, as I've been told, than a make-out session in the back of a club! Hope you all like it and I'm SO glad you've all read this far! Thanks to all my great reviewers and I hope that I can get back to you with more stories eventually. **


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